The Spirit of the Sword
by LilDreamyGirl87
Summary: He approached her with only one purpose: to use her to save Mokuba. But he didn't know that once she loves, she's willing to do anything for him, even sacrificing herself. Angst in later chapters[SetoSerenity main couple, JoeyMai, YamiTea]
1. The Forgotten Past

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, the great anime show. But the story is mine._**

**_Author's notes: This is my first fan fic. It takes place in the past, not Egypt though. I hope you guys will like it and support it. If there are any suggestions or comments, just post messages. Thank you._**

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 1

The Forgotten Past

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In the beautiful garden, a low sniffling sound was heard. The sky was clear and blue. The bushes and trees were the healthy green, with a variety of colorful flowers every where. Such a beautiful day should be filled with laughter. This was the public garden near the gigantic castle.

"Joey, where are you… (sob)…" a voice of a child said. "Don't leave me…I'm scared…"

Meanwhile, a twelve-year-old boy walked slowly through the garden. He had dark brown hair and a pair of dark blue eyes. He seemed exhausted and extremely tiresome. From his clothing, one can tell he is not an ordinary citizen of the kingdom. He was the prince, Seto Kaiba.

He heard the sobs, but he didn't see anyone. His keen hearing led him to a bush near the lake. As he walked around the bush, he saw a little girl, about the age of nine. She had long auburn hair. She was kneeling on the floor, with hands covering her face.

"What are you doing here?" Seto asked with an emotionless voice.

"Ah…" the girl was frightened by the sudden voice. She turned around and saw Seto. "Who.. (sniff, sniff) who are… you?"

"I'm Seto Kaiba. What's your name?"

"My name is…" she paused. She remembered that Joey, her big brother, told her not to talk to stranger.

"Well? What's your name?" Seto asked again, a bit impatience.

"Serenity" she whispered.

"Why are you crying?" Seto asked. He was usually quiet and uncaring around others, but this little girl… she was just like his little brother Mokuba. He loves his only brother Mokuba dearly. Perhaps the girl reminded him of his brother. He wanted to comfort her a little.

"Mommy moved out from the house and she brings me to this place. I want to see Joey. He always takes care of me. I don't want to leave him. I miss him! (sniff, sniff)." She began to cry again.

"Don't cry." His comfort sounded more like a command. It was not his fault. His step-father, King Gozaburo was forcing him to learn many subjects every day to prepare him for the seat of king. The training was exceedingly tiresome. It was Mokuba who motivated Seto to continue and hang in there. As the training continues, Seto became colder toward others, and he grows more comfortable to give orders.

_(flashback)_

_In a dark room, only a candle was lit. Seto was sitting at the end of the long wooden table. Piles of textbooks were stacked on the table. He seemed very weary and sleepy._

_Whip! A long stick smacked Seto's back. He immediately jumped up and kneeled down. The whip was painful._

"_Get up!!!" A rough voice scolded Seto. "What do you think you are doing? You didn't finish reading the textbook yet! Are you being lazy? Such a meek boy can never become a king!"_

_It was King Gozaburo, Seto's step father. He was a big man with scornful features. His angry face revealed his cruel nature._

"_Listen up! Here's tomorrow's training schedule. In the morning, get up at 6:00, go to practice the skills of swords and blades until 9:00. From 9:00 to 12:00, learn geography of the kingdoms and their history. There is a 30 minute lunch break. Then, continue the study of war strategies until 2:00. From 2:00 to 5:00, learn more about science and math. At 5:00 to 6:00, you can go stay with Mokuba if you want. From 6:00 to 9:00, help me with the problems in my kingdom. At 9:00 in the night, go eat dinner for 30 minutes. Then, go back to the library and continue your study. Do not go to bed until you finish your assignment! Is that clear? I don't want to see you being lazy again!"_

"_But… I'm really tired" Seto said with a low voice. He was very angry and frustrated at the tasks Gozaburo gave him. But he threatened to take Mokuba away, so Seto suppressed his anger and tried to be submissive._

"_What did you say?!?" yelled Gozaburo. "Don't ever say that again! Only the strong can survive in this era. The weak will be devoured soon! If failure is what you want, you can get out right now! I can't expect such a weak-minded person to take the seat of king. The kingdom will only be destroyed unless a strong leader can be the king!"_

_With that last sentence, Gozaburo slammed the door shut and walked away angrily._

_(end of flashback)_

The sniffling continued. Serenity's brown eyes were still filled with tears.

"Listen. You shouldn't cry. You can visit your brother when you grow up a bit. It is dangerous to be alone out here in the morning. You should go back to your mother" Seto told Serenity.

"But… but Mommy doesn't love me. She doesn't care…" Serenity looked sad.

"Be strong. Weak people can never survive in this world!" Seto sounded annoyed at her feeble statement.

Seto reached into his pocket and took out a white jade necklace. The jade was really pretty; it becomes transparent if one looks at it under the sunlight. The jade was the shape of a blue eye white dragon, with blue rocks as the eyes. He had four of these same blue eye jades. He wore one on his neck, and he gave one to Mokuba. The other two was useless to him. He had four of the same jades because he asked the jewelry makers in the palace to make them. Blue-eyes was his favorite dragon from the ancient Egypt kingdom that he once read about from one of those heavy history textbooks.

"Here. Take this with you. This will give you courage. You can go back and find your brother when you grow up, but only if you have the courage to do it" Seto gave the jade to Serenity.

"(sniff, sniff) Really? I'll be strong then… Thank you" Serenity says shyly. "I better go now, bye!"

Seto didn't say anything. His morning walk in the beautiful garden helped him relax from all the heavy training. He walked away, without looking back at the little girl. She was just someone he met once, not important at all. He had a much important goal to accomplish: take over the kingdom and give Mokuba a better live. They both hated their step-father, the cruel and evil king.

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Serenity walked toward the exit of the garden. She looked at the beautiful jade in her hand. It was a dragon! Although she didn't know the name of the dragon, she liked the jade very much.

"Ah! It's clear!" Serenity gasped. The jade turned almost into a translucent color under the sunlight. "You are magical, right? Give me courage, please. I must find Joey when I can leave Mommy!"

As she walked home, she held onto the jade. Then, she put the jade onto her neck and put it into her shirt. _I will never take it off again._

Serenity was really happy that she met Seto. He was really nice to her, in her opinion. He supported her and comforted her. Although the memory of Seto faded too, she remembered that there was a boy in the garden that helped her when she was lost and lonely. He gave her the dragon necklace. However, the face of the boy and the name of the boy have been forgotten. All she remembers is the beautiful blue eyes…

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Seto never saw that little girl again in the garden. Soon, he forgot her name. Then, he forgot that there is even such a person named Serenity. All he remembered was that he must forget the unhappy past he had. He doesn't want to remember anything from the past. He only looked forward. He no longer cared for other people, only his little brother Mokuba…**_

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**_I know this is short, because it is the past. Just to provide backgrounds for the characters. What do you think? How's the story so far? The next chapter will definitely be longer. Please review so that I can improve my story. Thanks for taking your time and read the story, I hope you like it._**


	2. The Nightmare

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, no matter how much I wish I do…**_

**_Author's note: It's almost Christmas! This is why I have time to update the story soon. But once school start again, I might not be able to update as often as I want to. The Story will be getting more exciting in one or more chapters, I promise. Please Read and Review! Thanks!!_**

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 2

The Nightmare

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A tall figure wondered alone on a path. The surrounding was foggy and dark. There was no sign of anyone. He was all alone. The darkness was swallowing him.

Seto Kaiba was walking aimlessly forward. He was lost. Worry was written all over his face. His usually emotionless face showed a sign of fear. He had lost someone precious to him—his little brother Mokuba. He couldn't find Mokuba anywhere.

"Mokuba!" Seto shouted. "Mokuba, answer me! Where are you?"

Seto was desperate to find his little brother. He wondered through the darkness and he finally saw a big mansion. He walked toward the mansion, opened the door, and entered the mansion. The mansion was about three stories high. There were many windows on the walls. There were also some creepy statues inside the dark hallway. Seto fumbled through the hallways. Each of the doors was locked. He couldn't open them.

"Mokuba!" Seto tried again, but there was no reply. There was only silent and the sound of the rain outside.

"Seto… help me…" came a really faint voice. _It's Mokuba!_ "I'm coming Mokuba!" Seto followed the voice to a door at the end of the hallway.

He stood in front of the door for several seconds, unsure of what would be behind the door. Would he be disappointed again to find no trace of his brother?

Seto put his hand on the door knob. He turned slowly and opened the door. It was dark inside. There seemed to be a figure sitting on the chair. Seto walked toward the person. _It's Mokuba! I finally found him!_ Seto ran toward the person, but his eyes widened because of shock.

"No… no… I'm too late!" Seto mumbled with regret. "I'm sorry Mokuba!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha… Kaibaboy. Nice to see you here" said a smirking voice. "Tell me, do you like my present, huh?"

Seto turned around, with trembled shoulder because of anger. "Maximillion Pegasus!" he shouted, loud enough for the people in the whole mansion to be heard, but there was no one there. "You will pay! Just wait! I'll get my brother back!" His hand was tightened into fists.

"No, no, Kaibaboy. You should have worked with me. But no, you have to reject my plan. So there, if you want the soul of your brother back, you have two choices." Pegasus was a very tall man, with long silver white hair covering the left eye. He was about 6' 2" to 6' 4" tall. He walked toward Seto with a slow pace and a smirk on his face.

"What is it?" Seto asked with a repressed voice.

"One, you can reconsider my offer and cooperate with me. This is the best choice I'm offering you. But if you insist on taking the second path, which is to defeat me in a battle, I'll be waiting for you. So, what's it going to be?" Pegasus said scornfully.

Seto didn't say anything. _Humph… I will never cooperate with you. Why should I be engage in this dirty plan to destroy Yami's kingdom, even though he is my enemy, I would never take order from others!_

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. So you have chosen the second path, huh?" asked Pegasus.

Seto's eyes widened again, surprised that Pegasus was able to read his mind. "How… how'd you… do that?"

"I thought you were very knowledgeable. Didn't you read in your textbooks about the ancient Egyptian millennium items?" asked Pegasus with an 'I feel so sorry for you for not knowing this simple information' look on his face, sarcastically of course. "I have the millennium eye! Observe." Pegasus lifted his silver white hair that covered his left eyes. There was a golden eye that looked just like the drawing of the millennium items' symbol, which Seto had read about in his textbooks.

"Impossible!" exclaimed Seto with a disbelief expression on his face. He backed away slowly. "How did you get your hands on that?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Kaibaboy. But I'll be waiting for you!" With that final remark, Pegasus disappeared with Mokuba, who has no expression on his face.

"No, Mokuba. Come back!" Seto began chasing after them, but he couldn't catch up. His right hand was extending forward, hoping to catch his little brother. But he failed, he was left behind in the middle of no where…

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"Mokuba!" Seto yelled, sitting up on his bed, sweating profusely. It was a nightmare. However, the conversation between Pegasus and he was real. It happened two years ago, when he was only sixteen years old. When he finally beat King Gozaburo, his step-father, and thought that he would be able to live happily with Mokuba and forget about his horrible past, Mokuba was taken away from him by Pegasus.

One day, Mokuba wanted to take a walk in the beautiful garden near the castle, but he didn't want any soldiers to protect him. That evening, Seto couldn't find Mokuba anywhere. Fear of losing Mokuba seized him. He began to search for his brother like crazy all over the castle, then the kingdom. But he couldn't find Mokuba anywhere.

Three days later, a letter was carried to him. The letter was from Pegasus, inviting Seto to Pegasus' Duelist Kingdom. Pegasus was the king of Duelist Kingdom. The conversation in his dream occurred during his visit to duelist kingdom. It was because his rejection of working together with Pegasus to get rid of Yami Kingdom that led Pegasus to kidnap the soul of Mokuba.

Although Seto had searched everywhere for a good sword to match the sword of Pegasus, he failed miserably. He had challenged Pegasus to a battle for about eighty times in two years, but each time, his swords were shattered into pieces.

_Enough! I must find the best sword ever created in the world! I don't want to fail anymore! Pegasus couldn't possibly have the best sword in the world. I refuse to believe that! If I have to, I'll find a way to make the best sword ever! Mokuba is waiting for me. I can't fail him. I don't care what I have to do, I'll do anything to save my little brother! Pegasus, just you wait. I'll avenge my brother! Mokuba, just a little longer. I'll come for you, I promised._

Seto stood up. The room was dark; only the moonlight from the window provided a little light. He was very tall, 6' 2", or perhaps even 6' 4". His dark brown hair was short. He had a pair of dark ocean blue eyes; although his eyes were pretty and deep, they were freezing cold. If a stare could kill, many people would be kill by his extremely cold stares. His face showed no emotion at all. Some said he had no heart, some said he had a black and evil heart. He never laugh anymore, perhaps he had forgotten how to laugh because of Gozaburo. Through the cruel training he received, he became scornful of the whole world and thought that he was superior. He doesn't accept failures. Failure is simple not an option for him!

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Seto walked to lobby of the castle, where he usually listens to the reports of his followers. He sat down in the seat of king, but stared blankly into space. He had sent out people to gather information of making sword since last month. _Why hadn't those imbeciles find any information yet!_ Seto was frustrated at his inabilities to save his brother. He felt so helpless.

"My lord" said one of his followers, walking toward him.

"Yes?" Seto said in a monotonous voice. His sharp and keen stare was fear by all of his people.

"I found that in our rival kingdom ruled by Yami, his warrior leader Joey Wheeler was the descendent of the great swordsman. The information of making the finest swords should be passed down to him. Joey Wheeler also had a little sister Serenity. She was found recently and brought back to Yami Kingdom. The information may also be told to her" reported his follower.

"Good" answered Seto. "Give me a full written report on the backgrounds of the Wheelers. They will be useful to me for saving Mokuba."

"Yes, my lord" the man said and bowed. He then left the chamber for preparation of the report.

_Humm… So Yami's favorite swordsman Joey, that mutt, knows the secret of making the finest swords… How can I trick him? Or perhaps… perhaps I can use his little sister Serenity. Her name sounds so innocent. Let's see the mutt suffer a little when I took his sister away from him. But whatever the plan may be, I don't have patience! Mokuba had been taken away from me for two years! I must save him soon!_

With that thought, Seto decided to visit Yami tomorrow. He had seen Joey several times, and he despised his big mouth and his personality of being a babble mouth all the time. A plan formed in Seto's mind. He just figured out exactly how he would be able to get the information soon, perhaps in one month, while amusing himself when he torture the mutt. _Yes, that is a perfect plan indeed… Ha ha ha… Mokuba, just give me one to two more months... I had a plan to save you…_ With a smirk on his face, he went back into his room for preparation of the visit tomorrow morning.

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_**I hope this chapter is not too boring. Next chapter we will take a look at Yami Kingdom and Seto's visit to the kingdom. It will probably be a little longer. What is his plan to get the information of making the finest sword? Who will he trick to find out that information? The story will get more interested soon, maybe next chapter or the fourth chapter. Please just bear with me. I need some support too. Please review! Thanks.**_

_**The Christmas vacation is near!!! Just four more days of school!!! YAY!!!**_


	3. Serenity Needs Some Time Alone

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Do I have to say this every time? (sigh…)**_

_**Author's note: Okay, here's chapter three. I hope people can review the story so I get an idea of what others think about the story… (sigh). I know, it started out boring, but it should get better soon, especially when Seto meets Serenity.**_

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 3

Serenity Needs Some Time Alone

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"Joey! Come back here! HOW DARE YOU!!!" shouted a very beautiful blonde girl. She had long and curly blonde hair, purple eyes, and perfect curve body. Her name was Mai Valentine, the cousin of King Yami. She was chasing a tall blonde hair man. "How dare you break my favorite perfume!" Her stares showed her rage toward Joey.

"I'm sorry Mai! I didn't mean ta do tha!" Joey Wheeler, the skillful swordsman of the kingdom, was running toward the stairs. "Forgive me Mai, please!" He was very tall, with blonde hair and brown eyes. He had a sword hanging on his waist.

Joey ran up the stairs, and bumped into a person walking down the stairs.

"Ah!" the young girl gasped. She fall down and almost rolled down the stairs if the strong arm didn't catch her in time. Joey caught the young girl in time and saved her from serious injury if falling down the stairs.

"Are you alright, sis?" said Joey, with a worried expression on his face. "I didn't see ya. Sorry, sis!"

"… I'm… I'm fine… thanks Joey… thanks for saving me…" the young girl, Serenity Wheeler, answered. She was still shocked and scared by the fact that she almost rolls down the stairs. She has long auburn hair, a pair of hazel eyes, and beautifully-curve but skinny body. She was not that tall, perhaps about 5' 4". Her beauty was of the gentle and loving nature, unlike Mai, whose beauty was of the glamorous type that could catch almost everyone's eyes. "I'm okay now. Don't worry."

"Where are ya going sis?" asked Joey. He just brought Serenity back from his divorced mother several months ago. They were separated for about six years; he stayed with their father and she left with their mother.

"Oh… I want to go to the garden near the castle. I want to go to the swings for a while" she said.

"Oh, fine. But ya have ta bring the guards with ya. I don't want ma little sista to get hurt by some creeps. Who knows who would be at tha park?" Joey advised Serenity to bring some guards.

"No Joey, I want to be alone for a while. I'm be fine, I promise" Serenity smiled. Her smile caught the eyes of both Tristan and Duke, who just entered the hallway.

"Let me accompany you, Serenity" suggested Tristan, with both eyes glowing at the thought of being alone with Serenity. He had short brown hair that was pointy at the forehead. He was the head of the guards of the castle. Everyone could tell that he had an interest in Serenity.

"Don't listen to him, Serenity, let me go with you" suggested Duke. His black spiky hair and green eyes made him look extremely handsome. Many maids in the castle had a crush on him and they formed a fan club for Duke. Duke was the war strategist of the kingdom.

"Hey! I asked Serenity first! Why do you think she will want you to accompany her? Huh?" attacked Tristan. "After all, I'm the leader of the guards. Only I have the ability to protect her!"

"Oh yeah? I don't think so. What makes you superior to me? I have more brain power than you!" Duke rebuked at Tristan's remark.

"Yeah? Let's see how strong you are!" Tristan yelled and he wanted to pull out the sword on his waist.

"Hey hey hey… who says ya two can go out with ma sis, huh?" Joey cut in. "I don't rememba telling ya that ya can go out with ma sis!" Joey was over-protective of Serenity because he loved her dearly.

"But…" both Tristan and Duke wined at the same time.

"No buts!" Joey cut off their sentence. "Seren said that she wants ta go alone."

"Joey! Don't you think you are over-protective of Serenity?" questioned Mai. "You can give Duke and Tristan a chance, you know. Serenity is not a little girl anymore."

"Shut up, Mai. I'm not talking ta ya!" Joey yelled at Mai.

"How dare you Joey! How can you tell me to shut up?" Mai was angered by Joey's 'shut up' order.

"Guys, guys. Please don't argue. I'll just go alone. Thanks, all of you, for wanting to help me out" Serenity said with a soft voice and a soft smile. "I'll be back in a while." With that, she walked passed the quarreling couple and the two young men who had crushes on her. Of course she knew from their behaviors the day she was brought back that they liked her, but there just seemed to be something, or some feelings, that were missing from them. Both Tristan and Duke were great friends, but not lovers, at least not to her.

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After Serenity left, the arguments of Tristan and Duke continued, and the altercation between Joey and Mai continued…

Serenity walked slowly into the park near the castle. She loved the beautiful and colorful in the garden. The fragrant smells of the flowers were soothing and calming. She walked toward the swings under a big tree. She loved the swinging moving and the ability to swing really high. It was fun!

She sat down on the swing. She fumbled and pulled out the necklace she wore on her neck. It was translucent under the bright sunlight. It was a necklace made of white Jade shaped to be a dragon. _Dragon, where did I find you? I don't remember… It seemed so long ago… I think it was a boy with blue eyes that gave you to me…_

Serenity put the jade back into her shirt. She began to swing the swing, at first slowly, then gradually increased the speed, until she had the feeling that she was flying into the sky… Suddenly, she flew out of the swing because she didn't hold on very tight.

_Oh no! I'm going to fall! Help? Someone? Anyone?_ Serenity used her hands to cover her eyes. She didn't have the courage to watch herself fall to the ground several feet away from the swing. That will be very painful!

The pain that she expected didn't come true. Serenity slowly opened one eye… _What just happened?... A hand! Whose hand could it be?_ She saw two hands holding her. Then, Serenity opened the other eye slowly. She turned her head upward a little, and saw someone holding her. It was a young man, but she couldn't see clearly who he was, because the sun was shinning right on top of his face, making his face appeared in shade.

"Thanks… thank you for… saving me…" Serenity stuttered and blushed a little. She had never been held this close to a man. She struggled to get off the arms of the man.

The young man put Serenity back onto the ground. He didn't say anything to her. He only used his cold blue eyes to observe her. _Such a pretty face…_ But that had nothing to do with him. He was on his way to the castle and must walk past this garden.

Serenity now saw the appearance of the man who saved her from falling to the ground. _Wow… he is so handsome… Wait! What am I thinking? I don't even know him… He has dark brown hair, blue eyes… that look so familiar… Have I seen him somewhere before?... No way! I couldn't possibly forgot someone this handsome…_ Serenity blushed more at the thought of how handsome this man was. _He is so tall… I must lift my head a little to see his face…_

"Are you done looking at me?" Came the annoying and impatient voice of the young man. His voice was deep, but very very cold.

"Huh?... Oh! I'm so sorry…" Serenity blushed and her face turned into a red tomato. _Stop blushing, Serenity! Stop it! You look so stupid now…_

"Good" he said coldly, then walked away. His long, silver trench coat billowing behind him. There was one more person following him, looked like his follower.

Serenity was still blushing. She gazed at the back of the tall figure until he disappeared into the turning path of the garden. She couldn't take her eyes off of him.

_Snap out of it, Serenity! Okay, I better go back to the castle. Joey might be worry if he didn't see me soon._

Serenity tried to concentrate and began to walk in the direction that young man walked, because that was the only way to the castle. But Serenity didn't realized that he went in the direction of the castle too, she was still in a daydreaming state. All she could think about now was the "hero" who just saved her. Little does she know that he is no hero at all, but only a person that might make her feel miserable…

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_**Okay, I finished Chapter 3. It's about the same length as the first two chapters. Sorry to leave a little cliffhanger at the end…(if you really think it is a cliffhanger at all, that is).**_

_**(Sigh)… it is somewhat discouraging, seeing how little reviews I got… But I'm not giving up yet. I'll try to make the story more interesting next chapter.**_


	4. Seto Kaiba's Scheme

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. That's all I'll say.**_

_**To Goddess Hope: Thanks for supporting my story! About the jade dragon, Kaiba won't see it anytime soon, but once he saw it, yes, he will eventually remember Serenity.**_

_**To Coffee-Time: Thank you very much for encouraging me! That meant a lot to me!**_

_**To Sakura: Thanks for reading the story. I'll try to update soon, since I have some time recently because of the Christmas vacation.**_

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 4

Seto Kaiba's Scheme

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King Yami was sitting in the golden seat for king. There was a table in front of him with stacks of documents concerning the condition in his kingdom. Yami had spiky hair, with yellow, red, and purple color. His purple eyes showed his intelligence and sharpness. He wasn't very tall compared to his friends Joey, Tristan, and Duke. He was reading one of the document and he frowned at the problems mentioned in it.

"Yami, do you need any help?" asked a beautiful girl as she walked toward the table. She had dark brown hair up to her shoulder. Her blue eyes seemed worried that Yami might be too tired after reading those boring documents for hours. She was tall and slender, with beautiful legs. Tae Gardner was the private servant of Yami, but everyone respected her and thought of her as a friend.

"Hi Tae. No, I'll be fine" answered Yami, looking up from the document. Yami's eyes showed a little affection for Tae, but he tried to hide that from her because of fear of rejection.

"Yami, I brought you some desert. You must be hungry" Tae said, putting down the plates of delicious cakes and cookies. She never called Yami 'king Yami' and he allowed her not to call him king. They were more like friends than king-and-servant.

"Thanks Tae, you are always so thoughtful" Yami smiled and began to eat the chocolate cake.

"Your welcome" Tae smiled too. "Rebecca came today and visited Yugi."

Rebecca was the granddaughter of the old King Motou. Yugi was Yami's little brother, with similar hair and eyes as Yami, but just shorter. Yugi had a soft heart and was always very thoughtful and caring for others.

"Really? Ha ha ha… Rebecca really liked Yugi, doesn't she?" asked Yami with a playful smile.

"Yea, everyone can see that" Tae was smiling too. "They look so cute together, don't you think?"

"Yes, they do indeed. I…" Yami was cut off by a loud bang of the door. The door was pushed violently opened by someone.

A tall figure walked into the room with august movement. His silver trenchcoat was billowing behind him as he rushed toward Yami.

"Yami! I challenged you to a duel right now!" said the man who just rushed in. He threw down decks of dueling cards on the table. He was the one who re-created the dueling cards from the ancient Egyptian games that he read about in his many textbooks. (Of course, the technology was not as advanced as today, so there is no dueling disks.)

"Kaiba! What are you doing here?" demanded Yami. They were rivals and their kingdoms were rivals. However, they didn't hate each other at all. They were just rivals for being the number one kingdom in the world. There were currently three kingdom: Domino Kingdom (Seto's), Yami Kingdom (Yami's), and Duelist Kingdom (Pegasus'). Domino Kingdom was on the East; Yami Kingdom was on the West; and Duelist Kingdom on the North.

"Are you deaf? Didn't I just told you why I am here?" Seto said impatiently and coldly.

"Why should I accept your challenge?" asked Yami. It wasn't because he was afraid of or unfamiliar with the Duel monsters cards and the duels, but he was confused at the moment.

"If I win, I want Serenity to be my Queen. I need her to help me accomplish my goal" said Seto arrogantly.

"What?!?" Yami and Tae yelled at the same time. Their eyes wide opened and they were shocked that they might even faint right on the spot.

"You couldn't be serious, Kaiba" whispered Tae with disbelief. "How did you know Serenity came back? Have you even seen her before? What can she possibly help you with? Are you even sure you want to do that? Did you even ask her about it? How do you think she would feel about this? Huh? You arrogant jerk! You didn't think about her feelings did you?" Tae bombarded Seto with lots of questions really quickly.

"Humph… Shut up Gardner. That doesn't concern you!" Seto grunted. _I don't need to know her. She is just a tool to help me rescue Mokuba. Queen? Ha ha, that was just a plan to get her to fall for me. Then, she will tell me everything I need to know about welding the finest sword to beat Pegasus. Every girl would fall for me, she will not be an exception!_ Seto thought about his evil plan. After all, he was a heartless person, cared for no one except his little brother Mokuba.

"What? How dare you!" Tae was fuming for no one had ever told her to shut up.

Seto ignored the infuriated Tae. He turned and looked back at Yami, who still had his mouth wide opened at the situation they were in. "Well? Are you going to accept? If not, I'll just join forces with Pegasus and destroy you, which I'm not willing to do. But that will be the only way to accomplish my goal. Think about all the people that will suffer because of your refusal to duel me. I know you are a good king, so don't let your people suffer. I don't have all day, decide right now!" threatened Seto coldly. He couldn't waste all day here waiting for Yami's answer. He wanted to save Mokuba as soon as possible.

Tae was slowly sneaking out of the room. _I must tell Joey and Serenity right now! That crazy, arrogant jerk! He better now win, otherwise… Otherwise what? No, I don't know, I have to hurry. Serenity must leave right now!_ Once Tae got into the hallway, she began to run really fast, as if some monsters were chasing her. She must warn Joey and Serenity about the situation right now!

"Fine. I will duel you Kaiba. But I won't let you win. Serenity can't go with you!" Yami said firmly.

"Good, because I WILL WIN! Now, let's duel!" said Seto. _I MUST win! Failure is NOT an option!_

* * *

"Joey! Joey!" Tae shouted as she speeded down the hallway. "Joey! Sometime is not right!"

"Tae! What are ya doing? What's not right?" Joey asked suspiciously. He had just finished arguing with Mai. He was cleaning his sword right now, waiting for Serenity to come back. He was the only one left near the front door, beside the stairs to the second floor.

"It's Kaiba. That jerk! He wanted to duel Yami. And if he wins…" Tae was cut off by Joey.

"What?!? Kaiba's here? What's he doing here? I'll go teach him a lesson not to come to his enemy's castle alone!" Joey said and he stood up, ready to rush to Yami's room.

"Wait Joey! Let me finish!" Tae pulled Joey's arm so that he won't rush away. "If Kaiba wins, he wants to marry Serenity!" Tae shouted in fear.

"WHAT?!?!?" Joey's eyes and mouth were wide opened, with a mused look on his face. "NO WAY!!! He's not marrying ma sista!" Joey was fuming right now.

"That's why I told you about it! Did you see Serenity? You has to leave right now! She has to hide from Kaiba! Who knows what that psycho wants with her?" Tae suggested.

"Run away? Escape? Why would she do that! Tae, ya have ta have some faith in Yami that he'll win! Kaiba would neva win!" Joey tried to convince Tae, but even he looked unsure. Everyone knew that both Yami and Seto were top duelists. The last battle, Yami won, and only barely.

"Joey! Stop that! Serenity has to go! This is just a safety plan, just in case Kaiba wins" Tae yelled. "Now tell me, where is Serenity?"

"Seren just went out alone to ta garden. She'll be back soon" Joey said. "Maybe we should go and find her. I guess ya're right. She should hide somewhere for a while."

"Great, let's go!" Tae said hurriedly and rushed out the door with Joey.

* * *

Just when Tae and Joey got out of the castle, they saw Serenity walking slowly towards them. She seemed deep in thought.

"Sis! You have ta leave!" Joey shouted.

"Huh? Joey? What did you just say?" asked Serenity confused by Joey's last statement.

"Serenity, we don't have time to explain. But Joey is right. Actually, Kaiba, the king of Domino Kingdom, just came and challenged Yami to a duel. If he wins, he wants to marry you! But Yami has to duel, because otherwise Kaiba would join forces with Pegasus and risk war with our kingdom!" Tae explained the complex situation to Serenity briefly.

"What? Kaiba, that cruel and evil king that I heard about wants to marry me?" Serenity was horrified. All the rumors she heard from the servants about the rival kingdom's dark ruler Seto Kaiba wanted to marry her? _No way! No! I'm not marrying that evil creep! No!!!_ Serenity almost cried, tears filling up in her eyes. _I just met that handsome looking guy… No way am I marrying another evil man. He's probably very horrible-looking and kill people without blinking his eyes._ "No! I don't want to! Help, Joey! What can I do?" Serenity said with a shaky voice on the verge of crying.

"Don't worry sis, we're gonna help you. We should go to Mai's own mansion near the beach. Kaiba won't suspect Mai!" Joey suggested.

"Yea, Serenity. We'll help you out. I'll go find Mai right now!" Tae ran back into the castle.

"You're not going anywhere" said a deep, creepy voice. A young man with long white hair and white eyes walked out from behind the tree. He was tall and slender, with a millennium ring on his neck.

"Bakura! Why are ya spying on us?" Joey fumed at Bakura, the priest of Domino Kingdom. Yami especially hated Bakura because he steals information from Yami Kingdom and transported it back to Kaiba. He was the one who found out about the information on Serenity and Joey and the fact that Joey knew about making a good sword.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… that's my job, swordsman. I was told to watch you, and especially your little sister. She must not escape because she will be the queen of Domino soon" smirked Bakura.

"Shut up, Bakura. We're going!" Joey yelled. He tried to walk pass Bakura with Serenity, but was blocked by Bakura.

Serenity began to cry hopelessly. _I can't get away… Kaiba even had a spy watching me… Why would he do that to me? What did I do wrong?_ Serenity hid behind Joey's protection from Bakura.

"Let me give you some suggestion. If you don't want Kaiba to see you right now, you should go back to your room and wait for the wedding tomorrow. Otherwise, Kaiba might drag you back with him right now if he sees you, for he is very short tempered and wants to accomplish his goal immediately. For that, he needs your help. You see, he might just drag you back so you can start helping him this instant" Bakura said, trying to scare Serenity. _Ha ha ha ha… her tears amuses me… ha ha ha…_ He was scaring Serenity just for his own entertainment.

"Joey… he's right… we should go back now. I… I don't want Kaiba to see me now…" Serenity whispered and she pulled on Joey's sleeve.

"But sis, he's just scaring ya!" Joey wasn't even intimidated by Bakura.

"No Joey. We can think of something tonight. I don't want to see him now!" Serenity looked frightened. Tears streamed down her cheeks again.

"Okay, sis. We'll go back now" Joey said, seeing his sister frightened made his heart ached. "Ya betta be careful around here, you jerk!" Joey fumed at Bakura.

Joey led Serenity back into her room, so that Kaiba won't see her today. _I'll think of something tonight! I have to get Serenity somewhere to hide!_

_I'm doomed… I don't want to marry Kaiba… Help… someone help me…_ Serenity felt hopeless and helpless. The only image that popped into her head was the handsome young man that she saw today in the garden. She hoped that he could come and save her. _But I don't even know his name…_ More tears rolled down her pale cheek. _What can I do?......_

**_

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**_Okay, I have to go to bed now. I'm really tired. It's 2:00 a.m. now! Sorry, but I really must go to bed. I didn't mean to leave a cliffhanger here, but I really need sleep. I have school tomorrow._**

**_How's the story so far? I hope it's getting more interested. You'll find out who wins the duel next chapter and what will happen to Serenity. But I'm not an expert on the duel, so there won't be much details on the duels, sorry if you are in to the battles._**


	5. Time to Escape

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, and never will…**_

_**Here's chapter 4. I wonder, how come I can't write the story to be very long like some people? Um… I don't know the answer to that…**_

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 5

Time to Escape

* * *

The duel in Yami's room continued. Both Yami and Seto were down to their last chunk of life-points: Yami had 200 left and Seto had 300 left. The duel was very intense so far. Yugi and Rebecca heard of the news that Kaiba came and challenged Yami, so they came down here to watch the duel. Yugi was very timid right now that Yami might lose. _Yami, you have to win! You are the best, big brother!_

Seto drew the third blue eyes white dragon card. He already had both of his blue eyes on the field, and his polymerization card was facing down right now. He smirked. _Yami had nothing on the field that can stop my blue-eyes-ultimate dragon! He had no trap cards or monsters strong enough to withstand my attack! Ha ha ha ha… I'll win… Then, I'll be able obtain the information I needed to make the sword._

Seto put his blue eyes onto the field. "Observe Yami, you are about to lose!" Seto said arrogantly. "I activate my polymerization card, fusing my three blue-eyes into the blue-eyes-ultimate dragon!"

"Oh no!" Yami exclaimed. _He's going to win! I can't let that happen. Serenity can't go with him! But… but I have nothing on the field to stop him…_

"Oh yes! Blue-eyes-ultimate dragon! Attack Yami and bring me victory!" Seto shouted.

_I'm sorry Serenity. Sorry Joey. I let you guys down…_ Yami looked down at the floor as Kaiba's blue-eyes-ultimate dragon blew away the remaining of his life points. He failed to protect his friends…

"Now. About the wedding, it will take place tomorrow afternoon in my castle. All of you will be welcome. Hmph, of course the mutt can come too if he wants. I will send Bakura to pick Serenity up tomorrow morning at nine o'clock. Serenity better be at my castle tomorrow, otherwise you know what the consequences will be" with the warning, Seto turned and left Yami's room. He walked out with his head high and proud that he won, like he always will, except that one battle with Yami that he lost in the past.

"Yami, are you all right?" Yugi asked, with unease. He knew that it meant trouble if Kaiba wins.

Yami was still staring blankly at the ground. "I… I let Seren down…" Yami said with disappointment.

"Come on Yami, you did your best! Serenity will understand. Besides, there will always be another way out of this" Yugi tried to cheer Yami up.

"Yugi's right! If Serenity needs, she can come to my mansions for a while" Rebecca suggested. She was about the height of Yugi, with long, golden, beautiful hair, and big beautiful eyes. She looked really cute, although at times her temper might be annoying.

"No… you don't understand. Kaiba warned me before, that if he couldn't get Serenity, he would risk war with us!" Yami was really upset right now.

"Oh no… then that means…" Yugi saw how the escape wouldn't work in this case.

"I don't know… how I'm going to handle this…" Yami mumbled. "Tae… she might be able to give me some suggestions…" Yami mumbled with a very low voice so Yugi and Rebecca can't hear.

* * *

Tae finally found Mai in the hot spring. She had told Mai about everything that happened after Serenity went out and came back. She told Mai about the evil Kaiba and the duel, but she didn't know how the duel turned out yet. They were both really worried now that Kaiba might win. Mai immediately agreed to help out by letting Serenity stay at her mansion near the beach for a while.

Tae also got into the hot spring with Mai. She was really tired now from the scary news she heard today and running around the castle trying to find Joey, Serenity, and then Mai.

"Why would Kaiba do something like this?" Mai wondered.

"I don't think that anyone knows. Didn't you hear about the rumor that he has weird behaviors?" Tae asked. "Like the rumor says that he killed his own little brother a long time ago. Also, that he's always alone and extremely cold" Tae was now chatting about Seto's mysterious live.

"Yes. I've heard about some cruel things that he did. But that's not the point here. If we can figure out his intentions at marrying Serenity, then we might be able to save Serenity" Mai said.

"Wait Mai, you might be right… Oh! I almost forgot! We should go find out about the result of the duel!" Tae shouted suddenly. She quickly stood up and dressed herself. She was desperate to know who wins the duel.

"Tae, wait for me!" Mai also grabbed the towel next to the hot spring and dressed herself. She hoped that Serenity will be fine, and Joey wouldn't need to worry then.

They rushed out of the hot spring and into the hallway, towards the direction of Yami's room.

Perhaps they didn't want to hear the bad news, but they were still hoping that it would be a good news…

* * *

Serenity was at her room now. After Joey brought her back to her room, he left urgently to find out about who's the victor of the duel.

The room was really quiet, and a bit lonely. Serenity sat on her bed. The bed was really big, with pink coverings, pink blankets, and pink pillow. The wall was painted with the color of light pink. Joey said that pink suits her, because it seemed so gentle and soft, just like her personality.

There was a big mirror next to the bed, and sofas directly across the bed. The bathroom was to the left of the bed, and the door to the hallway was to the right of the bed. The carpet on the floor was white, which fitted her room color.

Serenity sat on her bed, eyes stared at a fixed point somewhere, but nothing reflected in her eyes. She was staring blankly into the space, pondering what would become of her if the evil and cruel king wins the duel.

_He can't win!_ Tears began to swell up into her eyes again. The mere thought of being abused by the cruel king she heard about from the rumors frightened her greatly.

She fumbled for her necklace. The jade dragon necklace had been through a lot of hardships with her. When she was lonely and missed Joey, she would hold onto the jade tightly. She believed that the jade would give her strength to make it to another day. Then, she would be closer to seeing Joey again. She did make it through the lonely days with her mother, who didn't really care about her at all.

"Dragon, dragon… Help me this time. What should I do?" Serenity whispered, but she knew there would be no answers from the lifeless jade.

Serenity stood up, went into the bathroom, and decided that a nice hot bath could soothe her fears. Then, if she goes to bed, perhaps she would wake up tomorrow and find this to be only a nightmare.

_But then again, what if Kaiba wins? I can't afford to sleep and waste my time to escape… Argh! So complicated! I hope I'll figure it out after the nice hot bath…_

Serenity went into the bathroom, closed the door, and tried to forget everything that happened today. She would worry about the problems after the bath…

* * *

Tae, Mai, and Joey rushed into Yami's room. They saw a disappointed Yami and both worried Yugi and Rebecca.

_Oh no! Looks like Yami lost… and… Kaiba won!_ Joey, Mai, and Tae were all thwarted at the situation. Everyone could see that Yami lost and he looked like he's blaming himself.

"Yuge, Yami… lost?" Joey whispered to Yugi. He didn't want to upset Yami any more.

"Yea…" Yugi whispered back.

"Joey… I'm really sorry… I… let you down…" Yami said softly. He noticed that Joey came into the room.

There was a long paused of silence. No one spoke up. They were all lamenting on the fact that Kaiba might take Serenity away, that they didn't notice a shadow was trembling in fear behind the door in the hallway…

"Yami, it's… okay" Joey looked really worried, but he didn't blame Yami because he knew that Yami did his best. "We'll just… figure something out… right?"

"No Joey, Kaiba would risk war with us if Serenity didn't go to the wedding tomorrow…" Yami closed his eyes. He didn't want Joey to be heart broken, but that's the truth.

"… Wha…" Joey was too shocked to respond.

"Come on, Yami. Don't you have any other ideas? Must Serenity go with Kaiba?" Tae asked. She didn't want to see Kaiba takes Serenity away from them.

"If… if I risk a war with Kaiba… that wouldn't be that… bad, right?" Yami tried to think about the aftermath of the war. But all he saw was his people suffering, some from the lost of children, some from the lost of loved ones, and some from the physical damages. "No! I can't be that selfish… it's not like I don't want to save Serenity… but the war… it would destroy many more families…" Yami was very uncertain right now…

"Yami… whatever your decision might be… we'll always support you" said Joey. He understood the calamities of wars. He couldn't risk the lives of thousands or millions just for his sister. He would have to come up with something better…

"That's right, Yami. We all know the decision is hard to make" comforted Yugi.

"Besides, Serenity would understand…" Tae also tried to comfort Yami.

"Thanks guys…" Yami felt bad.

* * *

Serenity was standing behind the door. She finished taking her hot bath and felt a little better, so she decided to check on Joey and the others to see what's going on. When she got to Yami's room, and was about to knock on the door to go in, she saw that the door wasn't closed entirely and she could peek in. She heard the voice of Yami, "Joey… I'm really sorry… I… let you down…"

_Oh no! Yami lost… No… _She began to tremble in fear. She couldn't listen anymore. She began to run back into the room. She didn't know what to do. She paced back and forth in her own room for five minutes. Then, an idea struck her!

_I run away! I'll hide in some small village! Kaiba could never find me!_

She looked at the time. It was already three in the morning. It would take her a while to pack her clothes.

_Sorry guys, you guys stay up because of me… If I leave in the morning at six o'clock, then probably no one would notice. They would all be in bed for staying up all night by then._

She packed some clothes and some money, and wrote a letter to her brother. Then, by the time she finished everything, it was already six o'clock in the morning. The sun was beginning to rise. She walked slowly out of the castle, trying not to wake others up. She didn't want anyone to know that she left, so that they won't be blamed for by Kaiba. But she didn't hear the rest of the conversation.

She didn't know that Kaiba would be furious to find that she's missing. She didn't know Kaiba might even begin a war with Yami Kingdom. She didn't know that Kaiba would fume at everyone even more because they didn't know where she was and he couldn't find her.

She held onto her bag pack with the right hand, and held on to the jade dragon with the left hand. She needed a lot of courage to be out in the world alone. She had always been with her mother; although she felt very lonely, at least her mother could still protect her. Or, she had been with Joey, who was sometimes over-protective. Being out there alone was somewhat scary. She knew that there may be a lot of bad people out there. _I'll just have to be more careful then. Kaiba's evil hand would never catch me now…_ she hoped.

She knew that there were some small villages near the beach where Mai had a mansion. The direction would be to the west, the direction opposite of Domino Kingdom. _Perfect! I'll be farther from Kaiba now._ She started to walk towards the West, her back facing the rising sun.

A shadow was hiding behind the trees and bushes. She didn't notice that shadow was following her...

The shadow, of course, was ordered to keep an eye on Serenity. He was the priest of Domino Kingdom, also very good at spying and collecting crucial information for Seto Kaiba. He was the white hair Bakura, following Serenity to where she tried to hide…

_Hmph… you can't escape. Kaiba would find you soon. You'll then suffer for your own decision to run away… ha ha ha ha ha…_

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_**Okay, I finished Chapter 5. How was it? Will Serenity be caught next chapter? Or will she be able to hide for a while? Find out next chapter!**_


	6. Escaping Is A Mistake!

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!**_

_**To RiterAnonymous: Thank you very much for supporting my fic! About Bakura saying the wedding before he knew Kaiba wins, he was just assuming that there will be a wedding since he believed that Kaiba will definitely win. And sorry about the grammar mistake, I'm not very good at grammar.**_

_**To Justareviewer: Thanks for reading my story! I'll try to update soon when I have time.**_

_**To Coffee-time: Of course Kaiba will eventually fall for Serenity, but that might take a while before he realizes that…**_

_**To C.A.M.E.O.: Thanks for telling me that I spelled Tea wrong. Oops! Sorry that I spelled her name wrong…**_

_**To Goddess-Hope: No, Bakura is not going to show himself and catch Serenity. He hides in the shadow only…**_

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 6

Escaping Is A Mistake!

* * *

It was seven in the morning. Joey walked out of Yami's room with dark circles around his eyes, like a panda. He walked toward Serenity's room to wake her up. They had fallen asleep in Yami's room lamenting about Kaiba's victory. They tried to come up with a plan, but finally…

_(flashback)_

"_Joey, I'm really sorry, but… I have decided that… that I should protect… my people from war… I'm truly sorry…" Yami said with regret._

"_I understand Yami… I understand…" Joey closed his eyes._

"_Poor Serenity…" Mai's eyes filled with tears. "Joey, I'm really sorry for you…" she walked towards Joey and tried to comfort him._

"_Thanks Mai…" Joey said, with his head bowed down._

_(end of flashback)_

Joey had to go wake Serenity up so that she can get really for the wedding. He remembered Kaiba said that Bakura will come at nine o'clock. He hesitated to knock on the door; he just stood there with his hand raised in the air.

_Poor Seren… how can I break tha news ta her? She's probably sleeping peacefully right now…_

Joey felt really bad for his sister, but he must tell her the truth sooner or later. _She'll understand, right? She should understand… she's always so thoughtful for others…_

Joey knocked on the door. Knock! Knock! But no one answered. He raised his hand again, knocking harder and louder. Knock! Knock! Knock! But no on answered, again.

"Seren? Are ya awake yet? I need ta talk ta ya…" Joey shouted. But after two minutes, there was still no answer.

"Seren, I'm coming in, okay?" asked Joey. "Okay, here goes" Joey bumped into the door and forced the door to open. He stumbled into the room, but what he saw shocked him. No one was in the room. The blankets and bed sheets were all neatly folded, as if no one sleeps on them last night.

"Oh no, where's Seren?" Joey mumbled with some fear. Serenity had always goes to bed early, why wasn't she in her bed at this hour of the day?

Joey walked towards the bed and used his hand to feel the bed. It was cold. It wasn't like Serenity just woke up or anything, she probably didn't sleep last night. Joey than looked around the room. He walked over to her closet and opened it. He saw that some of the clothes were gone. He also noticed that the backpack was gone. _Oh no! Don't tell me Serenity runs away!_

Joey was really worried now. Suddenly, a white sheet of paper on the small table next to her bed caught his eyes. He quickly ran over there and picked up the paper. His eyes narrowed as he read the note.

_Dear Joey,_

_I'm really sorry Joey… but I decided to leave the castle. I don't want to marry Kaiba. I _

_hope that he wouldn't blame you and Yami for my absence. I didn't want you guys to be blame on. So… I decided the best thing to do is to leave. I'll go to some place far away, Kaiba probably wouldn't find me there. Don't worry about me, Joey, I can take care of myself. I'll write you some letters after I settle down, okay? Don't come looking for me, I'll be fine. Take care of yourself Joey! Take care of Mai and the others too! And Joey, if you have something to say to Mai, do it before it's too late! Take care…_

_Love,  
__Serenity_

Joey squeezed the note in his hand tightly. How could he be so careless? Serenity couldn't survive in the outside world! It's really dangerous out there, and who could guarantee that Kaiba won't find her? _Damn! Kaiba will find out about Serenity missing soon. That's not good! He's gonna blame it on us! I just know he would! Better tell Yami and the others about it!_

Joey speeded down the hallway back into Yami's room. They must come up with a plan before Kaiba discovers that Serenity was missing!

* * *

Seto Kaiba was putting on the nice black tuxedo for his wedding. It was almost ten in the morning, and Serenity should be arriving soon. Bakura had always done his job well, so Seto trusted Bakura to bring Serenity back for the wedding.

He looked into the mirror and was tying the black tie. His cold eyes and expressionless face were reflected in the mirror. _I can't wait to see her. I'll be getting closer to Mokuba after I got the important data from her! Ha ha ha…_

"My Lord. I just received a report that Bakura was missing. He didn't go pick up Serenity today at nine o'clock" reported a servant. He was bowing down submissively.

"What did you just say?" Seto was enraged by the news. His eyes narrowed and stared coldly at the servant.

"My… my… lord… I also heard that… heard that Serenity wasn't… um… wasn't in Yami's castle… She might have… um… um…" the servant was really freaked out. He stuttered a lot when he tried to tell Seto the news he just received.

"Finish your report!" yelled Seto really loud.

"Yes, my lord… um… Serenity might have… run away from the castle… to… try to… avoid the wedding…" the servant finished his report. He was sweating really badly. King Kaiba had really bad temper and his stares were really really COLD!

Seto narrowed his blue eyes once more. He was really mad now! MAD!!!

_How dare she run away from me! I had announced my wedding already to the kingdoms. Is she trying to humiliate me?!? Well, it's not going to happen! I'll find you Serenity! Just you wait. You'll regret for running away from me! You should have considered the consequences before you run!_

Seto flung his tie onto the floor and swung around. He walked fast out of his bedroom. He must go to Yami's castle and search for both Bakura and Serenity. If Serenity really ran away, Bakura should be watching her. _What makes Bakura missing too? Where the hell is he?!? It's time to pay Yami another visit…_

* * *

Seto brought six men with him. Those six men were his strongest guards, just in case if he needed them to catch someone.

Seto pushed open Yami's door once more. All the guards in the castle were unconscious after beaten badly by Seto. _Hmph… imbeciles… how could they be called the guards for Yami's castle?_

No one was in the room. Seto fumed for seeing an empty room. _Where the hell is Yami?!?_

Suddenly, Mai jumped out from the hallway. Extending her arms horizontally so that she could block Seto from searching the castle for Serenity. They had come up with a plan: try to block Kaiba as long as possible, while Joey go find his little sister. However, there were flaws in their plans. Who could possibly block Kaiba from going where he wanted to go? Besides, they didn't even know which direction Serenity went. They could never have enough time to find her.

"What do you want, Valentine?" asked Seto with a low and dangerous voice. His eyes were flashed with fire of rage.

"Kaiba! Where do you think you're going? This is not your castle!" Mai yelled.

"Get out of my way!" Seto said coldly. "Or do you want to be like those guards behind you?"

Mai gulped. Of course she didn't want to be like those bodies lying all around the castle. She knew how angry Kaiba must be now, but she must let Joey have more time to search for Serenity.

"No Kaiba! I'm not going anywhere!" she said firmly.

"Fine!" Seto whispered. He waved his hands, and two of the guards went forward. They captured Mai's hands and twisted them to her back.

"Ahhhh! Let go of me!" Mai screamed in pain.

"Hmph! You're not worth my time! Take care of her for me" He said to those two guards, and disappeared down the hallway.

When he approached the stairs near the big entrance of the castle, Tristan jumped in front of him.

"You're not going any where Kaiba!" Tristan yelled. He just heard the news that Kaiba was going to marry Serenity this morning when Joey discovered the note Serenity left for them. _How could I let Serenity go with this jerk? No way! Serenity, have no fear! I'll protect you! _Tristan promised Serenity in his heart.

"Another one? Ha… I see, you guys are trying to waste my time, isn't it?" Seto narrowed his eyes. "Well, it's not going to work! Besides, you can't stop me!"

"Oh yeah, we'll see about that!" Tristan said boldly.

"Wait, Tristan! I'll help you!" Duke ran towards them. He also heard the news about the wedding that was suppose to take place this afternoon. He was also furious at the news. _I'm not going to let Serenity be taken by some creepy, arrogant, evil person, like Kaiba! I'll save you Serenity! Then, you'll be mine!_

"Fine, Duke, but only this time!" Tristan said. He knew that they would have a bigger chance of winning by fighting together. However, he still hated the fact that Duke had a crush on Serenity too.

"Get out of my ways, you imbeciles" Seto said impatiently. "You guys have wasted enough of my time! So it was true, hmm? Serenity was gone, so you guys tried to delay me so that she could run away, huh? It's not going to happen. I'll find her soon!" Seto thought that they were trying to let Serenity get away, he didn't know that they were trying to give Joey more time to find his sister.

Seto waved his hand again. This time, all four of the remaining guards went forward. Tristan and Duke tried to hit the guards, but their hands were caught within five seconds. The guards twisted their hands to their back and pressed them onto the wall.

"Arghh! Let go! If you have guts Kaiba, fight me one on one!" yelled Tristan angrily. He couldn't believe that he was caught so easily, by some guards! That's so humiliating!

"Yeah Kaiba! Fight like a man! Don't tell your dogs to do your job!" yelled an equally angry Duke.

"Shut up!" the guards yelled, and tightened their grips on Duke and Tristan.

"You two are a waste of my time! Take care of them" Seto ordered.

"Yes, my lord" all four of the guards complied.

"I'm not wasting my time in this castle anymore. Tell Yami to watch out!" Seto fumed at both of them. He walked violently out of Yami's castle. He was really angry now that he couldn't find Serenity, and the others were trying to block his way!

_Bakura should be following her! Then I should hear from him very soon. I'll just go back to my castle for now. How dare she run away like that! She will pay!!!_

A fuming Kaiba walked away with the speed of lightning. He was in a really bad mood right now!

* * *

It was a really peaceful village. There were only about five houses beside the beach. It was past two o'clock already, and the sun was shinning brightly.

Serenity sat down on the beach. She was really tired from her non-stop walking. She walked due west for straight six hours without rest. She was really afraid that Kaiba might catch up to her if she stop even for a second. She had walked through the small path near the jungle, where very little people had passed, so that no one would report back that she was seen walking to the west.

Serenity was exhausted. She needed some rest, food and water. She looked around and saw five wooden houses next to the beach. Although the houses were small, they looked really cozy.

She stood up and walked toward the closest wooden house. She knocked on the door. The door was opened and an old woman was standing behind the door.

"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am. But I need a place to rest. You see, I want to visit my relative in the west, but I got lost. I finally found this small village. Please, just let me rest for the night. I'm really tired right now…" Serenity said with a pitiful look on her face. She didn't mean to lie, but it would be best to keep her escape as a secret. Serenity blushed a little because she had never lies to someone.

"Oh sure. Come on in" the old woman said with a soft smile and a welcome tone.

"Thank you very much!" Serenity was really happy that she could rest for a while now.

Behind a tree, Bakura was peeking at Serenity. A smirk appeared on his face. Obviously, Serenity didn't realize that Bakura had been following her since she left the castle.

_Kaiba would be very pleased to know where Serenity is right now. However, he's probably furious at this time that I didn't report back to him before the wedding. But who cares? Ha ha, as long as I did my job, I'll be fine._ Seemed like Bakura didn't really respect Seto as the king.

* * *

"Kaiba. I have the news of the whereabouts of Serenity Wheeler" reported Bakura. He didn't bow down like all the other servants did.

"What took you so long?" Seto asked coldly.

"I was following Serenity Wheeler, so I couldn't report back to you immediately. I apologize for that" Bakura said while looked straightly at Seto's eyes.

"So, where is she?" Seto asked.

"She's at the Lost Village in the west of Yami Kingdom. The village was next to the beach. I'll take you there when you wish to go" Bakura said.

"Good. Let's go now" Seto smirked. He had finally heard from Bakura.

_Enjoy all you want now, Serenity. Because you'll suffer when I find you!_ Seto thought evilly.

Seto and Bakura walked out of the castle. A carriage was already prepared for Seto. There were two guards this time that followed Seto. They started to journey towards the West…

* * *

Joey was searching westward, village to village. He finally arrived at Lost Village near the sea. He didn't know that Serenity would be here, but he did remember that Mai had a mansion somewhere here.

"S'cuse me. I'm looking for ma little sista" Joey caught one of the young man on the beach and asked him about his little sister. "Have ya seen a girl 15 years old, with long auburn hairs and big hazel eyes? She was about this tall" Joey was measuring the height of his sister to that young man.

"Um… I'm not sure… but I don't think so…" the young man said. He wasn't on the beach when Serenity came. He just got back to the beach from work at the fishing company.

"Are ya sure?" Joey questioned.

"Yes, I am!" the young man was angry that Joey questioned him.

"Oh okay. Thanks" Joey said. He wanted to ask someone else in the village. He knew that the young man might not have seen her, if she really was there.

"S'cuse me, have ya…" Joey was cut off when he saw a beautifully decorated carriage stopped near one of the houses. Seto Kaiba walked out of the carriage and Bakura was behind him.

"Kaiba? What's he doing here?" Joey mumbled confusedly. "Oh no! Maybe Serenity is here! I can't let him find her!" Joey said to himself.

"Kaiba!!!" Joey yelled loudly. "What are ya doing here?"

Seto turned around and saw Joey. "Ha. The mutt. What are you doing here? Finding Serenity? Or is it helping her escape, huh?" Seto asked sarcastically.

"Shut up, Kaiba!" Joey was mad. "Don't call me mutt!"

"Mutt! What are you going to do about it? Fight me? You don't even stand a chance!" Seto said.

"Oh yeah?!? We'll see about that!" Joey yelled, and posed his hands to a fighting position after he pulled out his sword.

"Where's Serenity?" Seto stood there, unmoved. He just wanted to find Serenity and go back.

"How am I suppose to know?" Joey said, smirking at Kaiba. _I'm glad he didn't know where Seren is._

"Hmph. Bakura will tell me where she is then. You're not worth my time to fight!" Seto turned away. He wanted to search each and everyone of the houses here for Serenity.

"Kaiba! Don't even think about find ma sista!" Joey shouted and charged at Seto.

Seto narrowed his eyes. His right hand pulled out the sword on his waist. Then, he smashed his sword at the sword Joey swung at him.

_Ding!_ The sound of both swords colliding. The fight between Seto and Joey began…

* * *

Serenity was resting on the bed in the guest room of the wooden house. Suddenly, he heard the bangs on swords. She sat up and looked out the window. _Oh no! Joey was fighting with someone!_ She couldn't see the face of Seto because his back was facing her.

Serenity quickly stood up and ran towards the front door. She didn't want Joey to get hurt. _Don't hurt Joey, whoever you are! Wait Joey, I'm coming…_

* * *

Seto's sword was pushed forward at Joey's chest merciless. Joey couldn't jump away; he was trapped in a dead end. Just when the tip of the sword was about to stab Joey's chest, a cry was heard from one of the houses.

Serenity opened the door and saw how dangerous the situation his brother was in. Her heart almost stop beating. The horror of losing her brother made her face turned really white and pale.

"No! Stop that! Joey!" Serenity shouted and ran as fast as she could towards her brother.

Seto pulled back his sword. His intention wasn't to hurt the mutt, but just to get Serenity out. He knew that Serenity would come out of the house when she saw her beloved brother in danger. Seto stood motionless next to Joey, his sword was pointed at Joey's neck.

Serenity leaped into Joey's hands and hold Joey tightly. Tears flowed down her pale cheeks.

"Are you all right, Joey?" her voice was shaking from fear.

"Sis! Yea, I'm fine" Joey stared angrily at Seto. "What are ya doing sis? You shouldn't have come out! Now Kaiba would drag ya back with him!" Joey looked really worry at his sister.

"I couldn't watch you get hurt, Joey!" Serenity yelled.

"It's fine now, sis. Don't cry…" Joey was soothing Serenity's fear.

"Enough! I'm sick of watching this 'reunion' of yours! Come with me!" Seto said impatiently and pulled Serenity's wrist so he could drag her back to his castle.

"Let go of me!" Serenity yelled. She struggled to get her hand free. She looked up to see who was grabbing her wrist. Her eyes widened as she saw the person grabbing her. Her heart almost stop beating. "It's you!"

Seto was confused by Serenity's remark. He looked down at the girl he was holding onto. _It's the girl at the garden!_ Seto was shocked also. He didn't know that the girl he saw in the garden was Serenity Wheeler. But he remained calm and expressed no feelings at all.

"Let go of ma sista, Kaiba!" Joey fumed at Seto. "She's not going anywhere with ya!"

"Oh yes she is. There was suppose to be a wedding this afternoon and she ran away" Seto said coldly. Serenity began to shivered at the coldness of his voice. She was confused and shocked about the fact that the "nice young man" who saved her yesterday in the garden was the devil Seto Kaiba! Her heart began to ache and the tears almost roll out of her eyes again.

"So what?" asked Joey.

"So, she's coming with me! There will be a new wedding, or maybe not, depending on my mood. But she's coming with me so that she will not be able to run away from me again!" Seto said.

"Why?" that was all Serenity could uttered right now. Her dreams were shattered by the cruel truth that the man she liked was the devil that she refused to marry. She was lost in though at the moment.

Seto dragged Serenity towards the carriage, ignoring the angry shouts of Joey.

"You shouldn't have run away from me, Serenity. Now you will suffer for humiliating me in front of all the people of the kingdoms! You will pay, and mark my words!" Seto whispered into Serenity's ears, sending a cold chill through her body. "Running away is a mistake!" Although Seto was whispering, but his voice was really chilly.

"No… please… let me go…" Serenity whispered slowly. Tears had already rolled down her pale cheeks.

"Never. I'll never let you go! You should have thought about the consequences earlier!" said Seto.

Seto dragged Serenity back into the carriage and drove the carriage away from Joey's sight, toward Domino Kingdom…

**_

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**_Finally, I finished chapter 6! This chapter was longer than the previous chapters. Is the story getting more exciting? Seto finally found Serenity! That's not a good thing… because Seto was really mad right now. Uh-oh…_**

_**Anyway. Reviews please! Pretty please! Okay, I'll just leave it to this. I'll update in a couple of days. Christmas vacation almost here!! Just one more day of school!!! Yay!!!**_


	7. The Confession of Love

_**Disclaimer: Let's see if I'm rich… Nope! Guess I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh then... and I don't own the characters in the show too.**_

_**To Yamiko Yakou: Thank you very much for supporting my fic! I'll update as soon as I have time.**_

_**To Coffee-Time: Thanks! You just gave me a great idea… Maybe Bakura will fall for Serenity… I'll see how I can fit that in…**_

_**To Goddess-Hope: Yes, something disastrous will happen at the wedding. Bakura's story will be reveal soon too…**_

_**To Kikoken: Thanks for reading my fic! I like a lot of your fics! Good luck on your finals!**_

_**By the way, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! Now, continue with the story…**_

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 7

The Confession of Love

* * *

The carriage was running toward Domino Kingdom when it began to rain. The sky was covered with dark clouds, making the sky grayish in color. The thunder roared loudly and the rain fall heavily, as if the whole world was crying for poor Serenity.

Serenity's body was shaking violently. She kneeled down at the inner corner of the carriage, far far away from the devil Seto Kaiba. Serenity put her hands around her knees, and then put her head down. One could tell that she's crying by the trembling shoulders.

_What can I do? I don't want to go with him…right?_ Serenity was doubting herself a little, because she did liked the person who saved her in the garden, but that person was Seto Kaiba! _Of course not! I want to stay with Joey! But… why am I so unsure… Why are they the same person?_

Seto's brown hair bang was hanging down his forehead. He closed his eyes and was sitting near the only exit of the carriage, as if he was guarding the exit so that Serenity couldn't run away from him. He didn't even bother looking at her, although he knew that she was crying.

The sobbing continued throughout the ride to the castle. Finally, the carriage arrived at Seto's Domino castle. Bakura knocked on the door of the carriage, then he opened the door.

"We're here, Kaiba" Bakura announced. He looked at Serenity, who was still crying, from the side of his eyes. _Poor, poor girl…_ Bakura thought, sarcastically. He had no feelings toward anyone; his nature was simply apathetic and a bit cruel. He also looked at other weak people disdainfully because he had the millennium ring that allowed him to take away others' souls. Perhaps his pitiful childhood as an orphan led him to crave for power.

Seto stood up and jumped off the carriage. He walked toward the entrance of the castle, without looking at Serenity. However, after he walked for a while and didn't hear Serenity's footstep, he stopped.

"Are you going to get off that carriage? Or do you want me to drag you off the carriage?" came the cold voice of Seto.

Serenity didn't moved at all. She didn't want to listen to his order. She continued to stay in the same position in the corner of the carriage.

Seto's blue eyes narrowed; a little fire flashed across his eyes. It was hard to tell that he was angry, but he was. He turned back and walked slowly toward the carriage. He was staring into the carriage at the frail body. He couldn't see her face, only her long auburn hair.

"I'll prepare the room for Miss Wheeler" said Bakura. He could tell that Seto was really angry at the defiance of Serenity. He didn't want to be the one to be scold at when Seto was in the bad mood, which was most of the time. Then, Bakura walked away, leaving Serenity and Seto alone.

Seto walked outside of the carriage. "I'm not going to repeat what I said. Don't make me go in there" Seto warned.

Serenity shivered at the horror of Seto's warning. But she didn't make any effort to obey his order. She was tired and really didn't have much energy left because of all the tears she shed.

Now Seto was really angry. _How dare she defied me twice!!!_ He suddenly jumped onto the carriage and rushed to the corner where Serenity was sitting. He reached out and grabbed Serenity's left wrist with his right hand. His grip was really tight.

"Ah…" Serenity bit her lower lips so that she wouldn't cry out too loudly. Seto's grip was hurting her.

"Let's go!" Seto said in a low but danger voice. He pulled Serenity's wrist and got off the carriage. Serenity almost stumbled out of the carriage if Seto didn't catch her in time.

"Let go… you're hurting me…" Serenity whispered in a low voice. She was frowning at the pain caused by Seto's grip. Tears filled up in her big eyes again, making her looked frail and pitiful. She tried to get away, but her struggling seemed nothing to Seto.

Seto didn't answer her. He smirked and grabbed even harder on her wrist, as a punishment for her disobedience.

"Please… you're hurting me!" Serenity yelled a little louder.

"Hmph…" Seto groaned. He lowered his cold blue eyes and looked at her. He felt his heart tightened a bit at the look of her big, teary eyes. But he quickly ignored what he had felt. He did loosened his grip on her wrist a bit.

Seto walked up the stairs and down the long hallways, while holding onto Serenity's wrist with enough force that she couldn't break away from him but the force wouldn't hurt her. He stopped at one of the doors at the very end of the hallway. Bakura was standing beside the door. Seto opened the door and dragged Serenity inside. He threw Serenity onto the bed roughly.

"Wait here. Don't even try to run away. You'll just get lost in the castle" Seto said with emotionless voice. "The wedding will be tomorrow morning at nine. Bakura will bring you the wedding dress tomorrow morning. Don't play any tricks on the wedding. Think about Yami Kingdom."

With the warning, Seto walked out of the room and slammed the door closed. Serenity heard the door being locked from the outside. She jumped off the door and ran to the door. She tried to turn the golden doorknob, but it was locked.

"Kaiba! Let me out! You have no right to lock me in!" Serenity yelled with all her remaining strength.

"Save your strength, Serenity" answered Seto from the hallway.

Serenity pounced several time on the door, but no one answered her. She was really tired after running away for the whole day and all the crying. She gave up because she knew that she couldn't get away right now. She decided to take a nap first. She walked toward the big white bed in the middle of the room and lied down with her face buried into the pillow.

_I hope when I wake up, I'll find this to be a nightmare…_

* * *

Joey was walking toward Yami Kingdom in the rain. He looked terrible because of the fight he had earlier with Kaiba. His head was lowered, and his blonde bangs were hanging down, covering his eyes. Parts of his shirts were sliced open. He was limping a little because he fell during the earlier battle. However, he wasn't really hurt or bleeding. When he raised his head, it was revealed that his brown eyes were full of hatred and regret. He hated Kaiba for taking his little sister away from him, but he blamed himself from letting Kaiba took Serenity away.

_Sis, I promise ya, I'll think of a plan with the others and go save ya soon. Hang in there Seren…_

Finally, he saw the castle entrance several miles away. He was tired from the search of Serenity and from the fight with Kaiba. He hoped that his friends would be all right back at the castle. _I hope Kaiba didn't hurt them or anything…_

As he got closer and closer to the castle, his heart began to jump faster and faster. He saw that no guards were around; they all disappeared. As he walked into the castle, he saw a lot of 'bodies' lying on the floor. Those 'bodies' belonged to the guards of the castle.

_What tha hell happened here?!?_ Joey was shocked. He never would have thought that Kaiba had the ability to knock out all the guards in the castle.

"Mai! Yami! Tea! Yugi! Tristan! Duke! Anyone?" Joey shouted. He wandered around the castle and then walked toward Yami's room.

"Joey? Thank god you're back!" Tea's cheerful voice came out of Mai's room. "Are you all right? You look like you just had a fight with someone…" her voice trailed off because she guessed that the person Joey fought was probably Kaiba. _Then, that means… no… Serenity couldn't be... gone…_

"Tea! What happened here? Where's Mai? And the others?" Joey asked worriedly.

"Yami, Yugi, Rebecca, and I are fine. Tristan and Duke are knocked out just like the other guards, and Mai…" Tea's big eyes looked a bit worry at Joey's reaction.

"What happened to Mai?" Joey's voice was tightened. He felt really hard to sound normal.

"She was also unconscious like the guards…" Tea's voice was a bit tense.

"WHAT?!?" Joey shouted. "Who did that ta Mai? Kaiba, tha creep?"

"Joey! Please, don't be so loud! Mai is fine, she's just unconscious. She's not hurt or anything. Calm down, will you?" Tea had to cover her ears so that Joey's angry shout wouldn't make her deaf.

"Sorry… how's Mai? Oh… and how's Tristan and Duke?" Joey asked Tea. He had calmed down a bit.

"Don't worry, they are all in their rooms. The doctor said they'll regain consciousness in a while" Tea answered.

"Okay… I'm gonna go see Mai…" Joey said with a worried face.

"Okay…" Tea said. "I'm really glad Kaiba left without hurting Yami…" she mumbled and sighed with relief that her Yami wasn't hurt. She walked toward Tristan and Duke's rooms to check on them…

Joey walked into Mai's room. The room was really big and pinkish; very girly, just like Mai's personality. Joey saw that Mai was lying on the middle of the bed. She looked really peaceful while asleep, or in this case, unconscious. Joey walked toward Mai and sat down on the chair next to the bed. He picked up her hand and put her hand to his face.

"I'm sorry Mai… ya got hurt because ya wanted to help Serenity. If I weren't searching for Seren, I coulda protect ya…" Joey's heart ache because Mai was unconscious, even though she wasn't hurt at all.

Mai's eyelashes began to move a little, but Joey wasn't looking at her face, so he didn't realize that Mai was about to wake up. He rubbed his face against Mai's hand.

"Mai…" Joey was just saying her name repeatedly. "Mai…"

Mai's eyes began to open. At first, she couldn't make out the surroundings, but after a few seconds, her vision became clearer and clearer, until she saw a big blonde head blocking her views. She also felt that her hand was being held by someone.

"Joey… is that you?" Mai said uncertain.

"Mai?" Joey raised his head and looked at Mai with surprised and unbelievable expressions. "You're awake! Mai! I'm so glad you're awake!" Joey shouted exuberantly.

"Joey… what's going on? I wasn't hurt or anything, was I?" Mai was confused by Joey's reaction. He acted as if she was cured of some incurable diseases.

"You're unconscious, Mai! Ya think unconscious was fine? Are ya crazy, Mai?" Joey was exaggerating the situation. He didn't mean to exaggerate anything, but he was really worried when Mai was unconscious. Joey suddenly hugged Mai. "I'm so glad you're all right now, Mai! I was really worried about ya!"

"Joey… I'm all right. Don't worry…" Mai blushed a little. She could tell that Joey really cared about her. She had always secretly admire Joey's cheerfulness. She admitted to herself that she had a little crush to Joey, but she would never admit to others unless she knows for certain that Joey likes her too.

_It's time now, Mai. Tell Joey how you feel about him! You know how much Joey cares for you. He likes you too. Be courageous! _Mai was trying to gather some valor to tell Joey how she felt about him.

"Joey… why are you so worried about me? I wasn't really hurt… I was just knocked out by Kaiba's guards, that's all…" Mai wanted Joey to admit his feelings for her too.

Joey let go of Mai. He was also blushing a bit. "I… I was worried because… because I… um…" Joey still couldn't tell Mai that he likes her.

"I understand, Joey. You don't have to say anything mushy" Mai was a bit disappointed. "But… I just want to let you know that… I like you, Joey." Mai didn't know how Joey would react, so she looked down on the floor and waited for his reply.

Joey was shocked. He never thought that Mai would have the same feelings for him. She was so pretty and clever, but he was so… sloppy. He just stared at Mai for a few seconds. Just when Mai thought that she was wrong about how Joey felt about her, Joey replied.

"Mai… I'm really happy that ya like me… I like you too… Wait… What I meant was that I… I love ya. Ever since I first saw ya, I… well, ya know what I mean, right?" Joey was blushing like a red apple.

"Shhh… I understand Joey" Mai hugged Joey. She rested her head on his shoulder. Joey was really happy. He hugged her back.

"Mai… ya need some rest now" Joey said, trying to stand up.

"Joey, stay with me for a while…" Mai suggested. "Tell me what happened today. Did you find Serenity?"

Joey tensed up suddenly at the mention of Serenity. "Kaiba took her." He said, lowering his head. "I'll go talk to Yami and the others later about what to do."

"I'm sorry Joey, for what happened to Serenity." Mai wanted to comfort Joey.

"Don't worry about it, Mai. We'll come up with some plan. You need some rest." Joey said. He kissed Mai on her forehead and sat back down at the chair. "I'll be here until ya fall asleep."

"Thanks, Joey…" Mai said, with a soft smile.

Joey stayed with Mai until she fall asleep. Then, he adjusted the cover so that Mai wouldn't get sick. After that, he walked out of Mai's room silently and walked toward Yami's room. He needed to talk to him desperately.

_Kaiba is probably going to hold the wedding in the morning tomorrow. I betta go talk to Yami…_

* * *

Seto Kaiba was sitting at his personal library. His chair was facing out the window, so he could see the scene of his kingdom. He appeared to be deep in thought.

"Kaiba. What do you want to tell me at this time of the night? It was passed midnight already." Bakura asked in a monotonous voice. His sharp eyes stared straight at Kaiba fearlessly.

"Is everything prepared?" Seto asked.

"Yes. Everything at the wedding is prepared." Bakura answered.

"Good. I don't want anything or anyone to interrupt my plan." Seto ordered.

"I understand. But I believe that Yami and Joey would definitely come tomorrow, not to attend the wedding, but to take Miss Wheeler away." Bakura predicted.

"Let them come then. They can't disrupt my plan to save Mokuba." Seto said firmly. The mutt can never stop him, so did Yami. He was expecting them to appear at the wedding. Seto grinned mischievously at the 'show' that would occur at the wedding tomorrow. _The mutt can amuse me tomorrow, along with King Yami… Ha ha ha ha ha…_

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**_This chapter was mainly about Joey's and Mai's confessions to one another. They are finally together! Isn't that sweet? Oh, and Kaiba treated Serenity really badly in the beginning of this chapter. He's planning something evil on the wedding. The wedding will be the next chapter._**

_**Please review and tell me how's the story so far… I really hope that you guys like it. Well, enjoy the Christmas vacation!**_


	8. The Wedding

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I guess everyone should know this by now.**_

_**To ssp: Since Kaiba's first plan was to marry Serenity so she might fall for him, and he announced it already, he would rather marry her and torture her than to loose face from the news that she ran away.**_

**_To Yamiko Yakou: Thank you very much!!!_**

**_To Goddess-Hope: You'll have to find out then..._**

_**Okay, I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter!**_

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 8

The Wedding

* * *

The sun just rose from the horizon. The bright golden sunlight illuminated the big room. There was a blonde hair sleepy-beauty lying on the middle of the soft bed. She was still asleep, with a satisfactory smile on her beautiful face. After a while, the girl began to move.

Mai stretched her arms and opened her eyes lazily. She had a soft smile on her face, indicating that she had a good night sleep and a sweet dream. She sat up on her bed and looked around the room with her purple eyes still filled with some signs of sleepiness. _Nope. No signs of Joey. I wonder where is he… Oh right, he wanted to discuss some plans with Yami._

She got out of the bed and put on her purple dress. She went into the bathroom and washed her face. When she came back out, she looked refreshed and energetic again. Mai decided to find Joey and see what they wanted to do in regards to Serenity.

She walked out of her room and down the hallway. The soft and red carpet on the floor allowed no sounds to be heard when one walks on it. She stopped at Joey's room and knocked on the door three times. No one answered. She knocked again. Still, no one answered.

"Joey? It's Mai. Are you awake yet?" Mai asked lightly, didn't want to wake him up if he was still asleep.

"Joey? Are you awake?" Mai asked again, a little bit louder this time. She was starting to loose her patience. "Joey, I'm coming in, okay?"

Mai turned on the doorknob and found that his room wasn't lock. She opened the door and walked inside. There was no one in the room. She saw that the bed sheets and covers were all neatly stacked at the end of the bed.

"It's not like Joey to make his own bed. Did he not sleep yesterday?" Mai mumbled suspiciously.

She walked out of Joey's room and went to the room next to Joey's room. That was Tristan's room. Again, she didn't find anyone there. She returned to the hallway and went to the room opposite of Tristan's room. This room was Duke's room. Duke wasn't in his room also.

"Where's everybody? Is this a ghost town?" Mai asked. "Maybe they're in Yami or Yugi's room."

Mai decided to go to the last room down the hallway. That was Yami's room, with the most expensive decorations. She knocked on the door, but only silence answered her knock.

"Ughh! That's it. I'm going in" Mai groaned. She pushed open the door and found that no one was in the room. "Where is everyone?!?"

"Mai?" Tea walked into Yami's room and saw Mai and heard her frustrated question. "Are you looking for Yami?"

"Oh Tea! Good morning. Where's everyone? I looked all over the place and I only see you here" Mai rushed towards Tea and questioned her.

"Good morning, Mai. Yami, Joey, Tristan, and Duke went out. Only Yugi, Rebecca, and I are in the castle now." answered Tea. She walked toward the bed and started to make the bed.

"Do you know where did they go?" Mai asked desperately. She had a bad feeling about today. She really wanted to find Joey fast.

"Nope. I think Yugi knows. Why don't you go ask him? He's in the lobby right now." Tea answered without looking up. She was now mopping the floor.

"K! Thanks, Tea!" Mai said. Then, she ran out of the room and went downstairs to the lobby.

As Mai was descending the stairs, she saw Yugi stared out of the window and he was frowning. Mai walked up toward her little cousin, who was a bit shorter than her.

"Yugi! Do you know where Joey and the others went?" Mai asked.

Yugi turned around and saw a worried Mai. "Oh, morning Mai. They… um they went to Domino castle about one hour ago. Here, Mai, Joey asked me to give this to you." Yugi handed a note to Mai.

Mai opened the letter and scanned through it:

_Mai, I discussed with Yami and the others last night. We decided to pay Kaiba a visit. _

_He had sent us an invitation to his damn wedding! I definitely wanted to go. Tristan and Duke were really furious last night, and they insisted on coming with me. So, Yami also decided to come. Yugi had to stay at the castle to protect you, Tea, and Rebecca. Don't worry Mai; we should be back by noon. Stay back at the castle, okay? Whatever happens, do NOT come to Domino!_

"Well, now you know why they went out." Yugi said after Mai folded the note.

"Yugi, do you think they'll be all right? Should I go too?" Mai couldn't decide on whether to go and find Joey, or listen to him and stay at the castle.

"Mai… I think they'll be fine. You should stay." Yugi suggested. His violet eyes also seemed a bit worry about his friends.

"Um… okay…" Mai said uncertainly. She turned around and went back into her room. _I had a really bad feeling about this. Kaiba is not someone to be messing around with…_

* * *

Meanwhile, Serenity was still sleeping on the bed. She was really tired from yesterday's escape and capture. Contrary to Mai, she didn't get a good night sleep at all. She was constantly awaked because of horrible nightmares.

_Knock, knock!_ Someone knocked on the door twice. Serenity's long eyelashes moved a little. She slowly opened her eyes. Her hazel eyes expressed sleepiness and tiresome. She was confused about where she really was.

"Miss Wheeler. I bring the wedding dress for you." Bakura said with a deep voice.

Serenity immediately sharpened her vision and remembered that she was captured by Kaiba yesterday. She jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom. She didn't want to see anyone right now.

Bakura opened the door and walked inside. He put down the wedding dress and waited for Serenity to come out. He needed to keep an eye on her. His keen eyes scanned the whole room and noticed that she was in the bathroom.

"Miss Wheeler. There's no need to hide. You'll eventually have to come out." Bakura said, emotionless.

Serenity bit her lower lips. She knew that Bakura was right, so she slowly opened the door and came out of the bathroom. She looked down on the floor, and her auburn hair was a bit messy because she didn't brush her hair yet after she woke up.

"Change into the wedding dress now. The wedding will be at nine o'clock, about one hour later." Bakura told her. "Kaiba will be waiting at the royal church in the castle. I will be escorting you to the church."

Serenity was standing about two feet away from Bakura. Her hand was entwining her long pink dress. She didn't really want to change into the wedding dress.

Bakura walked toward her. He extended his hand and tilted her head upward by her chin, so that she would look into his eyes. "Don't waste any time. I'm not a very patient person." Bakura warned with his creepy voice. His intention was to scare Serenity, but he was astonished by her beauty. _What a pair of pretty eyes she had… She looks so gentle… Hmph, so what?_ Bakura let go of her chin and turned away.

"Get ready in thirty minutes. Don't make Kaiba come up here." Bakura warned Serenity. Then, he walked out of the room to let her have some privacy.

Serenity was trembling from the scary stares of Bakura. He had succeeded in scaring her. She shivered more at the mention of Kaiba. She definitely didn't want Kaiba to come up here. Therefore, she quickly walked to the bed and picked up the wedding dress.

_The dress is so pretty! I've always dream of wearing a white wedding dress and walk down the church to the person I love! But… this is not really the kind of wedding I wanted: to be forced to walk down the aisle to some devil!_

Serenity went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. Then, she began to change her clothes, and brushed her hair. When she finished, she walked in front of the mirror and looked at herself. She saw her reflection in the gigantic mirror. In the mirror, there was a beautiful young woman. The white wedding dress fitted her body perfectly, showing her slim and nicely-curved body. Her whole arms and upper chest were showing. Although her white-jade necklace was showing, there was another diamond necklace that came with the wedding dress. _I guess I'll have to wear the diamond necklace._ The puffy dress was long and touched the ground. The laces and the patterns on the dress were marvelous. Her long auburn hair was down and she put the white ribbon on her head.

Serenity was blushing like a red cherry. She had never worn any clothes that are too perfectly fitted because other people would be able to see her body curvature. Her mother didn't allow her to wear such clothing, and neither did Joey.

She walked toward the table and found a lot of make ups on the table. She picked up one of the pink lipstick and put some on. Then, she used the brush to put on the make up, only lightly, because she doesn't like have a too colorful face. When she was finished, she looked really pretty—natural beauty, because she didn't put on excessive make up that would look like a clown.

When she finished, there was only five minutes left. Bakura knocked on the door and came in. His eyes flashed with astonishment, but only in a few seconds. Then, he looked normal again. "You're really pretty. I'm glad everyone at the wedding couldn't take his eyes off of you, including Kaiba." Bakura commented on her.

Serenity blushed even more and quickly went into the hallway. She felt really uneasy around Bakura, especially with the wedding dress. "Shall we go?" Serenity said.

"Yes, of course. Kaiba would be stun when he sees you." Bakura answered, making a 'please' sign, indicating she should walk first.

Serenity bit her lower lips and walked slowly down the hallways. She concentrated on the decorations of the castle to distract her uneasy feelings. _Wow, the castle was very pretty, the decorations must be expensive!_ She was impressed at the decorations. She tried to occupy her minds with other things, but it wasn't working at all. All she could think about was Seto Kaiba…

* * *

In front of a royal church of Domino Kingdom, the noblemen began to enter the church. They all received the invitations from their king about the wedding. A swarm of people, all dressed in suits or fancy dresses walked into the church. Among the people, there were four handsome young men. They were Yami, Joey, Tristan, and Duke. They were also invited to the wedding.

Joey narrowed his eyes and looked around for Kaiba or his sister. _I'll kill that jerk!_ He thought angrily. Yami saw Joey's angry looks, so he walked closer to him to warn him. "Joey, calm down! We'll see how things are before we could do anything. Remember, it's not just about Serenity, think about our people as well."

"I know, I know! Can't ya see I'm trying to calm down?" Joey hissed. He was in a really bad mood. _I know there are more people than Serenity that I might doom, but I can't just leave Serenity in hell! Arghh—I'm so confused!_ He couldn't decide on what to do after Yami reminded him of the consequences of acting sporadically.

Tristan and Duke were equally furious as Joey. They both had a crush on Serenity, so they also craved to beat Kaiba up for robbing Serenity from them. The plans they came up with last night was to see how Kaiba treated Serenity, then if truly necessary, they'll rescue her. Of course, then they'll probably have to fight Kaiba in personal battle or even a large scale war. But Serenity is Joey's sister after all, they really couldn't just let her suffer in the hands of the devil, Seto Kaiba.

Suddenly, the church became very quiet. Everyone was seated on the chairs. Yami and the others also quickly sat down near the front, but not in the first row so that Kaiba wouldn't notice them. The music was played by the musician sitting in front of the piano.

Seto stood at the end of the aisle. He was wearing a white shirt, a black suit with a black ribbon. His shoes were polished very shinny. His brown hairs were combed neatly, with a bang hanging down above his cold cerulean blue eyes. His left hand was behind his back and his right hand hanging down on his side. He was facing the entrance of the church, waiting to see the frail figure walking toward him.

Several sighs were heard from the audience. The young girls of noble descents all had crushes on Kaiba. Now, he was standing in the church, waiting for some girl from another kingdom. Their hopes of being the queen died off just now.

* * *

Serenity stepped up the stairs. Her heart was pounding really fast right now as she was getting closer and closer to the entrance of the church. She could hear the songs played by piano and the silence of the church. She knew that millions of eyes would be staring at her the moment she steps into the church.

She took a deep breathe and continued to step up the stairs. Finally, she reached the top and walked into the church. She couldn't help but searched in the front of the church for the person that occupied her mind the whole morning—Seto Kaiba.

She gasped as she saw the handsome figure standing at the end of the aisle. He was standing still, waiting for her to go to him… Serenity blushed like a red cherry and lowered her head. Her heart was pounding loudly and fast. But, she suddenly felt a sense of guilt toward herself.

_What am I thinking? I'm not supposed to be happy like a lovesick puppy!_ She frowned and scolded herself. _This is not _my _wedding! I'm forced into it! Whatever Kaiba's intention for the wedding is, it certainly wasn't love!!! Wake up, Serenity! What about Joey? He must be worry sick or perhaps furious right now, if he's here… But… the wedding is so dream-like, with this pretty wedding dress, and the handsome man… Oh stop it! What should I do? I don't know what to think now…_ She continued to struggle within herself. She felt guilty to be so blissful and even blushing!

There were some whisperings from the men in the church. They all looked lustful at Serenity. She's so beautiful, especially with that wedding dress on. Joey, of course, was fuming at the whistling.

"What the hell is Serenity doing? Why is she wearing that… ugh! That wedding dress?!?" Joey had a disgusted look on his face. "Damn you, Kaiba!" he mumbled.

Of course, Seto heard the whistling around and the lustful stares of other men. Although he felt a little uncomfortable and a little anger inside of him. _Those men! They better not look at her like that ever again! Or they'll suffer!_ He thought disdainfully. But he quickly ignored his feelings. He smirked when he noticed a very angry Joey staring at those men in the church. _But then again… the mutt is furious right now. He always amuses me… muhahahaha… Of course, I gave her that particular wedding dress to embarrass her and to torture Joey!_ Seto was enjoying his own evil plan.

Of course, Seto also saw all the expressions on Serenity's face and her hazel eyes. He smirked at her inner struggle. _Hahaha… I think she's falling for me. She'll tell me about the techniques to make the perfect sword really soon! Struggle on, my little Serenity. That's for trying to run away from me to humiliate me in front of my people!_

As the songs played on, Serenity was slowly approaching Seto. She felt nervous as she approached Seto. _What's he going to do to me?_

At last, she reached the end of the aisle. Seto walked closer to Serenity and grabbed her wrist. He put his right arm on her waist. Serenity tried to move away to keep some distance, but Seto applied some force so that she couldn't move.

"Don't even try to resist. Don't play any tricks. Your brother is watching. Hahaha…" Seto whispered into her ears. The audience all thought that he was saying something mushy to her. They smiled happily for their king. Serenity shivered a bit. _Joey's here? Oh no, what will he think of me?_

"Damn that jerk! Get your dirty hands off of ma sista!" Joey mumbled with a repressed voice.

"Joey, just wait a bit longer and see what happens. Don't act too fast or the situation might be aggravated." Yami warned him.

"Damn you, Kaiba! Get your hands off of her!" both Tristan and Duke mumbled too.

"Shhh— keep it down, will you?" the middle age man next to Duke hissed at them. So, they turned back and looked at the ceremony…

The clergyman asked, "Do you promise to take Serenity Wheeler to be your wife/queen and care for her?"

"Yes, I do." Seto answered monotonously. No one could hear any emotions or love from his voice.

The clergyman turned to Serenity. "Do you promise to take King Seto Kaiba to be your husband/king and care for him?"

Serenity bit her lower lip. She wasn't sure if she should answer the question. The church grew silence as everyone was waiting for her reply. Seto frowned and grabbed her wrist more tightly, sending a bit of pain to her wrist.

"I told you not to play tricks. You better answer the question that I want to hear before I turn and chop your useless brother into pieces" Seto threatened.

"I… I… I…" Serenity stuttered. "Um… yes… I d-do…"

The clergyman let out a sigh of relief. He could see his king was about to kill someone if the girl didn't reply soon enough. "Then, exchange rings and you may kiss the bribe, my king." The clergyman announced.

Seto put the ring onto Serenity's finger and she did the same, slowly and nervously. _Joey must be very angry at me. I know he didn't like Kaiba…_

Seto suddenly grabbed Serenity's waist and pulled her closer to him. He looked at Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Yami from the corner of his eyes. An evil smirk appeared on his face as he leaned closer and closer to Serenity. Serenity was frightened and her heart was pounding very very very extremely fast! Her face was all red from blushing. _Oh my god! Is he going to kiss me? Should I push him away? And run?_

Joey closed his hands into fists. His knuckles turned white and crackling sound was heard. He was ready to jump out there to stop Kaiba from kissing his sister. Duke and Tristan also stood up and ready to jump out and beat Kaiba up.

Seto saw the four people's figures. Three of them looked extremely pissed off. The smirk on his face grew even larger and he pressed his lips on Serenity's lips, only lightly brushing pass her lips. Although it would be fun to deepen the kiss, but someone already ran toward him and pulled him apart.

"Kaiba!!!" Joey, Tristan, and Duke yelled together. They all looked so pissed off. Joey jumped toward Serenity and wanted to pull her and run away. But Seto was faster than Joey. Seto grabbed Serenity's wrist and pulled her behind him. The evil smirk grew even broader when he saw Serenity had a dreamy look on her face. She didn't even realize that her brother and friends were in front of her at this moment. He was delighted to see the mutt so angry.

Suddenly, Seto saw a bright light shinning and coming towards him. He immediately backed off and became more alert. But he still felt a sharp pain on his right cheek. A drop of crimson blood dripped onto his finger. Joey had pulled out his sword and tried to cut Kaiba on his face.

Seto narrowed his eyes. No one had been able to hurt him. He was too careless just now. Fire could be seen in Seto's cerulean eyes. He was really pissed off by Joey! Seto stared at Bakura, who was sitting in the first row, signaling him to watch Serenity. Bakura stood up and pulled Serenity away, also giving Seto's sword to him.

Serenity was finally awake and horror appeared on her face. She saw her brother holding a sword pointing at Kaiba. Kaiba had a light scar on his face. Apparently, Joey just sliced Kaiba's face. Kaiba had a 'you'll be dead' look on his face. He was staring furiously at Joey. Serenity began to tremble at the fear of a furious Kaiba.

"Joey… no, what have you done… Run Joey! You'll get hurt!" Serenity yelled at Joey.

"Shut up! You better stay out of my way! No one can survive after hurting me…" Seto had a deadly look in his eyes. He didn't look at Serenity when he ordered her to stay away.

Seto pulled out his sword from the sheath and pointed at Joey. The people on the wedding began to scream loudly and ran for their lives as they saw that a sword battle was going to explode. After a few seconds, there were only seven people left in the church: Seto, Serenity, Bakura, Joey, Yami, Tristan, and Duke. Everyone else had disappeared.

In a swift second, Seto had swung his sword mercilessly at Joey. Joey docked the assault, but he was shocked at Seto's swift movement and anger. The battle began! Serenity was terrified. Her heart almost stop jumping. _Joey, be careful! But… I don't want Kaiba to get hurt too… Oh traitor Serenity! You should be worrying about Joey, not Kaiba!_ She scolded herself.

_Ding!_ The swords collided. Serenity gasped. Although Tristan and Duke were furious at the wedding, but they would never beat Kaiba, so they just ruled and cheered for Joey at the side. Yami was frowning. He was worried sick for Joey. It was clear that Kaiba was better than Joey at sword battle. _Ding! Ding!_ The battle continued.

Then, unexpectedly, Joey seemed to kicked something and fall backward. With a thud, he was now sitting on the floor. His sword flew out several feet when he fall. _Uh-oh… I'm doomed…_ Joey closed his eyes and expected a painful sting on his skin somewhere. Seto's sword continued being pushed forward to Joey. Seto had no intention of stopping right now…

Serenity's eyes widened and tears filled up her eyes at the fear of seeing her brother getting hurt. She bolted toward Joey and leaped in front of him. She was determined to protect her beloved brother. She extended her arms and hugged Joey.

"What are ya doing sis?!? Get off!!!" Joey opened his eyes and saw Serenity in front of him. He screamed and tried to push her off. His scream could be heard from outside of the church.

"No!" Serenity yelled and shook her head 'no.' She hugged Joey even harder.

Seto's angry sapphire eyes grew wide. He didn't expect Serenity to jump between him and Joey. He tried to pull back the sword, but it was too late. The sword pierced Serenity's back on the right side. Crimson blood dyed her white wedding dress into a red color. It looked like a crimson flower was blossoming around the sword, which was stabbed into Serenity's back.

"Ah" Serenity's piercing scream was heard. She fall into the arms of Joey.

Joey's heart ached tremendously. Tristan and Duke had their mouths opened widely. Yami was also shocked at the turn of the event.

Seto could only hold his sword. He was frozen and couldn't move. He also felt a sharp pain spreading through his heart. For a few seconds, everyone just stood there.

Tears flowed down Joey's cheeks, the tears of fear. "Seren! Seren! You'll gonna be fine! Why did ya do that, huh?!?" Joey asked, not knowing what to do.

"I… I-I don't want to… to see you… get hurt, Joey…" Serenity was frowning. It was really hard for her to say a complete sentence because of the pain.

Tristan and Duke rushed to the side of Serenity. They held onto one of her hands.

"Please be all right, Serenity!" Tristan said fearfully.

"Don't die!" Duke said, trembling.

Seto finally regained consciousness. He quickly pulled out the sword and dumped it on the floor. He didn't mean to hurt Serenity. His eyes full of anger again when he saw Tristan and Duke holding onto Serenity's pale hand.

"Get out of the way!" Seto hissed. He quickly pushed Tristan and Duke out of the way. He grabbed Serenity from Joey and held her. He stood up and quickly turned around, leaving a heart broken Joey behind. He bolted out of the church and ran back to the castle, holding Serenity tightly.

"Come back here, Kaiba!" Joey shouted. "Give me ma sista back!"

Seto ignored his shouts. Serenity needed the best doctors right now, and he could get them fast.

Serenity was already unconscious right now. Her face was very pale and white. Her lips were no longer red or pink, it was a ghastly white. There were traces of her tears.

"I'm sorry, Serenity… I didn't mean to hurt you…" Seto whispered.

Although Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Yami tried to follow Seto, but Bakura blocked their ways.

"This is not Yami castle! You guys are not welcome. Queen Serenity will be taken care of, you should go back and wait. I'm sure Kaiba would sent you news on her recovery soon." With the last statement, Bakura also bolted after Seto, leaving the four shocked men behind…

_**

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_**Muhahaha… Serenity was hurt… Evil Kaiba!**_

**_Sorry, it's actually really sad that Serenity was hurt. I'm evil, right? For hurting such a sweet pretty girl. You'll have to find out what happen to her next chapter…_**

_**Review please, otherwise I'll update really really late, because I won't have the energy to write something that no one wants to read… lolz…**_


	9. The Long Wait

_**Disclaimer: Let's see, what do I own… some stuff animals, some books, some DVDs, some other stuff… nope… I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.**_

_**Author's note: I don't know if this chapter is useful at all… it seems so slow… Anyway, I hope you guys will like it. It's so hard to think of something and write it down!**_

To Yamiko Yakou: Lolz… The Kaiba in your story "To Freeze Her Heart" was much more evil! He is the real devil incarnate!!! (lolz…) And of course Serenity will live, otherwise my fiction would come to an end… lolz… I do hope you enjoy this chapter…

To Coffee-Time: Thanks for loving my fiction. I hope you enjoy this chapter…

To Eragon26: Thank you for supporting my fiction! I hope you'll continue reading it and review it.

To Audrey: Yup, Mokuba was locked up by Pegasus. His soul was also taken by Pegasus. Why did Pegasus did that to Mokuba? I'll reveal Pegasus' story in the future. I hope you'll bear with me.

_**Should I let Serenity die, fall into a coma, or live? That is the question. I guess you'll have to find out in this chapter…**_

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 9

The Long Wait

* * *

In the big, luxurious room, the mood was very intense. There was a young girl lying on the bed, her face was down rather than up. Several old men surrounded her; they all looked worried and scared. They were worried about her wound, and scared about the angry king standing at the window.

"I need some clean bandage." Demanded one of the doctors.

"I need clean water. Hot water." Demanded another doctor.

"Scissors!" Yelled another doctor.

"Faster! We can't wait, you know!" one doctor scolded at the maids.

The maids were very busy coming in and out of the room. They had to prepare clean bandages, hot water, scissors, and medicines. They also had to hand those materials to the old doctors.

All those noise didn't reach Seto Kaiba. He was standing at the window, staring out into the garden. His hair was messy and his eyes frustrated. _What are those stupid doctors doing? It's been five hours! Why isn't Serenity saved yet?!? _Seto was annoyed and frustrated. _It's all the mutt's fault! If he didn't raise that sword to my face, Serenity would never get hurt!_ Seto was extremely angry. He raised his hand and punched heavily at the wall, not caring if he's hurting himself.

He walked out of Serenity's room. In the hallway, he saw Bakura waiting.

"How's Serenity?" Bakura asked. No one could read his emotion from his face.

"The doctors are still saving her." Seto answered. Suddenly, he saw four people that were not supposed to be in his castle.

"What the hell are you doing here?!? Get out of MY castle!" Seto yelled at Joey and his friends.

"I don't think so, Kaiba! When the doctors come out, I'm taking ma sista back!" Joey said firmly.

"Who do you think you are, mutt? She's staying here. She's the queen now in case your dim brain still didn't realize that." Seto smirked at Joey.

"Don't call me mutt!!! And she's not gonna be your queen! Don't forget that you stabbed her!" Joey yelled. A drop of tear escaped his eyes.

"That reminds me… if you didn't raise your stupid sword at me, none of this would have happened! Now get the hell out of my castle!" Seto hissed. "I'll send you a message when she is saved." Seto directed the last sentence to Yami.

"Fine, Kaiba. We'll leave for now. But I hope we can come visit Serenity later." Yami said.

"I'll think about that." Seto answered, then he went back into the room.

"Joey, I think it would be best to leave for now. I'm sure Mai's worry about you. Kaiba wouldn't hurt Serenity. You can see that he didn't mean to hurt her." Yami told Joey.

"But… I wanted to stay… here with Seren…" Joey's hair was also messy. He raised his hand and combed his hair because of frustration.

"Joey, Yami's right." Tristan said.

"Besides, we all wanted to stay with Serenity. But Kaiba doesn't allow. She'll be fine. You need some rest too, Joey." Duke suggested.

"… fine…" Joey finally decided to go back to Yami Kingdom. Mai was probably worried sick right now. He needed her comfort also.

They walked slowly down the hallways, heading back to Yami Kingdom…

* * *

After another three hours, the doctors finally claimed that Serenity was saved for now. However, there was one bad news—she had fallen into a coma.

"We're sorry, my lord. But we did our best. There is no way of telling when… when the queen will awake from the …c-coma." One of the doctor reported timidly.

"It may take… about… a-about… um…" another doctor was scared by Seto's deadly stares. They could all tell that he was terribly enraged.

"Finish the damn report!" Seto yelled. It was rare that he showed any emotions. But he just couldn't control his own tempers at the moment.

"Yes… um… it may take several days, or weeks, months, or even years for her to awake. It all depended on how strong her will is…" another white hair doctor reported, his hands shaking.

"We're sorry. We did all we could do. It's all on her will now…" the doctor with long beards said.

"Imbeciles! You can't even help her! Get out now!!! You better come back every day to check on her!" Seto commended.

"Y-y-yes m-my lord…" All of the doctors replied. They quickly bolted out of the door, as if to escape some monster in the room. They let out sighs of relieves after they got into the hallway.

Seto walked toward the bed and sat down in a chair next to the bed. He frowned when he saw Serenity's colorless face and lifeless lips. Her eyes were closely shut, and very tightly too. Seto raised his right hand and caressed Serenity's pale cheek. If only he look into a mirror, then he would see the soft look in his eyes. The Seto Kaiba would never had that soft look in his eyes, ever!

"You look so pretty on the wedding… now you look so pale… and lifeless…" Seto mumbled.

He fumbled for her hands in the bed sheets and found her left hand. He held onto her cold hand and pulled it up to his face. His heart was aching at the sight of a lifeless Serenity.

"I'm really sorry for hurting you… I still need your help to save Mokuba…" Seto didn't forget his purpose for marrying Serenity.

_What is this feeling I had in my heart? Is it pain? Hmph… no way. Why would it be pain. But I can't wait for months or even years!!! I need to save Mokuba soon! I refuse to wait that long; I had waited long enough!!! Serenity must survive and wake up soon!_ Seto ignored his heart ache. He made an excuse for acting the way he's acting now. His excuse was that Serenity can't die because she needs to help him save Mokuba.

"You will heal fast! Then, you can help me. You MUST help me save my little brother!" Seto said softly.

He didn't let go of Serenity's left hand. He just sat there, waiting for Serenity to wake up…

_

* * *

_

_Where am I? What is this place?_ Serenity wondered. She was immersed in darkness. There was nothing around her. _Am I falling?_

Serenity felt that she was falling down. She thought she would reach the ground in a heavy thud, but for a long time, she was still falling. There was a point of light way up at the top. She couldn't reach it. The light was too far away. She felt very weak and a lack of energy.

She heard someone mumbling, but couldn't really hear what that person was saying. She couldn't even tell who that was. _Who's mumbling? Is the person talking to me?_

_Joey… where are you? Tea… Mai… Yami… Yugi… Tristan… Duke… help me… Where are you guys? _She saw images of her friends flashed in front of her, but she kept on falling downward, so the images became farther and farther away, until she couldn't see the images anymore…

Serenity wanted her brother and friends to save her from the darkness around her. She couldn't help herself right now; she felt very tired. She wanted to just close her eyes and rest.

_Seto Kaiba… Seto… _Serenity thought of Seto. She slowly closed her eyes. _I need some rest…_

Serenity closed her eyes and continued to fall down the abyss…

* * *

"Joey… Tea… Mai… Yami… Yugi… Tristan… Duke…" Seto heard Serenity mumbled. He moved closer to Serenity and held her hand more tightly. He was hoping that she will awake at the moment.

"Are you awake?" Seto asked. But he didn't get any reply. He was disappointed that she didn't wake up.

"Seto…" Serenity mumbled again. Seto's eye widened when he heard his name. No one had ever called him by his first name, except Mokuba. Everyone was afraid of him. He wanted people to be afraid of him, and he enjoyed the fears they showed. He enjoyed being superior to others. He enjoyed having the power to manipulate others' feelings, such as fear!

He waited to see if Serenity would wake up or say something else. But everything was quiet again. She seemed to fall into a deep coma.

"Damn! When are you going to wake up? It's been twelve hours already since the incident!" Seto was frustrated at the waiting. He wanted Serenity to be fine immediately. He had the desire to pick her up by the shoulder and shake her violently until she opens her eyes. But he suppressed his sporadic idea. Shaking her would definitely make her wound even harder to heal. That would do no good at all.

_I'm loosing my patience! _Seto thought angrily. He was angry at himself for being so violent that he hurt Serenity. He was also angry at those old doctors, who couldn't help Serenity more. Then, there was Joey to blame. Seto almost blamed the whole accident on Joey.

It was already at night. The sky was dark and covered with clouds. The moon was hiding behind the clouds. It would be raining anytime. The dark sky was like an omen that predicted the long wait Seto, Joey, and the others had to endure before Serenity would wake up. It was all up to Serenity now. If she had a strong will to live, she will wake up. If she felt unhappy in the world, well, she might slip into a coma for eternity, or just… die…

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**_Okay, I know this chapter is short and probably boring, but I can't think of what else to write now. It is so hard to write up one chapter! I always thought writing a story would be easy, but how wrong am I!!!_**

**_So, will Serenity wake up soon? Or will she continue to be in a coma? This will depend on the reviews I got. If people really wanted Serenity to wake up asap, better review! If not, I'll make her suffer longer in the darkness of the coma, muhahaha… sorry, I think I had too much sugar... I'm just kidding though. I'll try to update as soon as possible, but I have to finish my homework first. You know, it's almost the end of the 10-day vacation, and I haven't done any homework yet! (sigh…)_**

_**Okay, I'll stop.**_


	10. The Bad News

_**Disclaimer: (sigh…) How many times do I have to say that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh? I have been over this for how many times? Nine times already! This is the tenth time!!! (sigh… and shake head…) There will be many more times that I have to say this, I know, I know…**_

_**I haven't been writing the story for a couple of days. I'm terribly obsessed with this new anime I bought: S-Cry-ed!!! It's really really good! I think that if you like Seto Kaiba and Sesshoumaru, then you'll probably like Ryuho too.**_

To Yamiko Yakou: Lolz, thanks for the comment.

To Coffee-Time: Lolz, um... I'm not planning to let Kaiba kiss Serenity for her to wake up, sorry...

To RiterAnonymous: Lolz, I know I updated really fast recently, it is because of the Christmas vacation. But once school starts again, I don't know how slow I will be at updating the story. Thanks for supporting my story!!!

**_Okay, continue with the story. I hope you guys will enjoy the story…_**

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 10

The Bad News

* * *

It had been two weeks since the wedding. Serenity was still unconscious. Seto had been in her room everyday, just sitting there watching her. She had grown paler and paler as the days passed by. She didn't mumble anything since the first day of her coma.

A timid old doctor walked slowly into the room. He was shaking because of fear. His king was in the worst mood he had ever seen since the queen was hurt and fall into a coma. Cold sweats began to drip down his wrinkled forehead. Behind him were three other doctors, all dressed in white.

"My lord… we have to check on the queen's condition…" the old doctor said timidly.

Seto was standing at the window, his back facing the doctors. His eyes were closed. _It seems hopeless. Is she going to wake up? I need… need her to save Mokuba… Damn!_ He suddenly turned around, and then opened his cold cobalt eyes.

"Why isn't she waking up?" his voice was indifferent, but his eyes showed a sign of anger. The anger was directed toward the doctors.

"She… her will to survive is currently very weak… Maybe… maybe if her bro-brother and… and fri-friends could come…" the doctor suggested, stuttering because of fear.

"What did you say?" Seto's voice soft, yet dangerous. He didn't want to see the mutt and his rival Yami.

"Um… if her family and friends could… could talk to her… even your majesty… if you talk to her… perhaps it would help her… at least a little…" the old doctor was shaking again.

"I don't need…" Seto was cut off by Serenity's sudden scream and cry.

"Ah! Help… Someone… it's hot! It hurts. Please stop burning… I'm scared… Joey? Joey! I'm afraid of the fire, the burning…" Serenity shrieked, then she broke into crying and sobbing. However, she was still unconscious. She seemed to be in some kind of nightmare or scary memories.

Seto was frozen. He didn't know what to do. Then, he finally regained consciousness and rushed to Serenity. He tried to shake up so that she would wake up from the scary memories or nightmare.

"Wake up! Serenity, wake up!" Seto was shaking her by the shoulder. The doctors were all scared by what they saw. They quickly rushed to Seto and pulled him away.

"Stop, my lord! You must not shake her like that!" the old doctor let Serenity lied down, with a worried face. "She is still unconscious. That may be a scary memory, or just a mere nightmare. I think it would be best to inform her brother. He might know something about this"

"… Fine. Sent a messenger and inform the mutt, ahem, Serenity's brother Joey, about this. Tell him to get his ass here immediately." Seto ordered. Serenity seemed to calm down a bit. He turned around and went back to stand in front of the window.

_I want to know what the hell is happening! The mutt better know something about this!_

* * *

Serenity finally reached the bottom of the abyss. She was still surrounding by darkness. She sat on the ground, with her head resting on her knees. She was scared and lonely. Her eyes began to fill up with tears. Her eyes shut tightly.

_Where am I? Is this hell? Had I fallen into hell? But why? Think Serenity! What happened?!?_

She began to search in her mind about what happened the last time she remembered. She remembered that Joey found her and brought her to Yami Kingdom. Her friends: Tea, Mai, Yami, Yugi, Tristan, Duke… Her brother Joey. They had all treated her kindly. Then, she remembered there was this person who saved her from falling off the swing in the garden. She was running away, she was caught. Then, she was in the church, it was a wedding, her wedding! _Then what happened? I can't remember…_

"Joey… where are you? Please help me… I'm scared. I'm all alone…" Serenity mumbled. Tears began to drip down her cheeks. She sobbed.

Suddenly, her right arm began to hurt. She opened her eyes. She saw a small Serenity in a dark room. Her father was drunk. He had a match in his hand, and the match was lit. Her father was getting closer and closer to the small Serenity.

"Joey! Help me! Mom! Help!" small Serenity was yelling and crying. She was backing up from her drunken father.

"Stop yelling! You useless girl!" Her father screamed at her. He was drunk and he never love his daughter. To him, what is a daughter good for? Nothing!

Then, his father stumbled toward small Serenity. Then, the match fall onto the ground. A flame burst up and the surrounding began to burn. The father got up and was a little more awake after he saw the flame. He jumped and rushed out the door; he disappeared into the darkness. The small Serenity began to cry. She tried to run out, but the flame burst up in front of her. She was trapped!

"Ah! Help… Someone… it's hot! Please stop burning… I'm scared… Joey? Joey! I'm afraid of the fire, the burning…" the little Serenity began to scream and cry as loud as she could.

"No! I've got to save her!" Serenity said. She tried to rush into the flame to save the little girl. But the little girl disappeared just when she almost touched her. She saw that the little Serenity was outside of the flame now, holding hands with Joey.

"That's right… Joey saved me that time." Serenity mumbled to herself. What she just saw was her past. She had almost forgotten about that incident. Her father was always drunk. He would beat her mother and her, sometimes Joey, especially when he came home drunk. That's why her mother decided to take her away from her father. She tried to take Joey too, but her father locked Joey up when they tried to escape. But her mother stopped caring and loving her after they moved away. She became more obsess with trying to get a rich guy to marry her. Serenity's childhood was so unhappy that she almost forgotten about it. However, the one thing that she was afraid of the most was fire.

"Oh no! Now I'm trapped in the fire!" Serenity realized. Her eyes widened and fear seized her thought. This time, it was her turn to try to escape the flame. The fire burned her right arm a bit.

"Ah… Ah! Help… Someone… it's hot! Please stop burning… I'm scared… Joey? Joey! I'm afraid of the fire, the burning…" She cried out. The words were exactly the same as the little Serenity had cried out before.

Joey was no where to be found. No one was at the bottom of the abyss. All she saw was darkness and the flame around her. The temperature was terribly high.

_I can't escape… it's hopeless… I guess I have to stay here and burn to ashes… Joey is nowhere to be found… I'm all alone… all alone… all alone…_

Serenity gave up. She sat down and put her head on her knees again. She closed her eyes. One drop of tears fall out of her eye.

"Seto…" she mumbled, but didn't realize that she mumble anything.

* * *

"Seto… Seto, help me! Seto!" Serenity was unconsciously yelling Seto's name. Her face was white as a paper. She was shaking her head lightly. Her auburn hair spread out on the white pillow.

Seto opened his eyes suddenly. His eyes grew wider when he heard her call of help. His cerulean eyes narrowed and he turned his head to face the bed.

"My lord… the queen is having a high fever…" the doctors reported.

"Imbeciles! Do something!" Seto yelled. He rushed to the bed and put his hand on her forehead. "It's burning!" Seto said fearfully. _No, you can't… you have to wake up… there is still a task you need to do!_

"Did the mutt get the message yet?!? Tell him to come here right now!!!" Seto ordered his follower.

"Y-yes… a message was sent to Joey Wheeler. He should be arriving soon…" the follower replied.

"He better get here fast!" Seto said, coldly.

* * *

The blonde hair man was walking around his room. He was extremely worried and frustrated. Joey walked back and forth in his own room. Mai was sitting on the bed, her violet eyes following Joey, her boy friend.

"Damn! Did Serenity wake up yet? That jerk, Kaiba, only sent us a message two weeks ago saying that Serenity was stabilized. Can't I at least go and see her?" Joey was talking to himself.

"Joey…" Mai said. She seemed more worried, because Joey was acting like this for two weeks. "I think Serenity is fine… there's no bad news sent to us, right?"

Mai stood up and walked up to Joey. Joey was now facing the window, his back toward Mai. His head lowered and seemed lost in thought. Mai walked up to Joey and hugged him from the back, trying to give him some comfort and support. She rested her head on his back.

"We are all worried about Serenity, Joey." Mai told him. "How about this? Let's go find the others and pay Serenity a surprise visit?" Mai suggested with a cheerful voice. She didn't want Joey to feel upset any longer.

Joey finally raised his head. He liked Mai's idea very much! He turned around and looked at Mai. "Why didn't I think of this earlier?" Joey asked. "Thanks Mai. I'm so glad ya are here with me." He lowered his head and kissed Mai on her lips gently…

When they both needed to grasp some fresh air, Joey finally lifted his head. Mai was blushing. "Let's go talk to the others. Shall we?" Joey asked and put his right hand out, waiting for Mai to put her hand in his.

"Sure, Joey. Let's go." Mai put her left hand into Joey's big hand. They walked out of Joey's room together.

* * *

Yami was sitting in the king's golden seat. He was lost in thought. His eyes lowered, so no one could read his emotion.

_I should have pulled Joey back. If he didn't try to hit Kaiba with his sword… Then Serenity wouldn't get hurt._ Obviously, Yami had been blaming himself again. _If I win the duel, then Kaiba wouldn't get to Serenity in the first place. I am to be blame for all of this. I could have stop Kaiba, then Joey… but I failed to do even the simplest thing. How's Serenity doing right now? Why isn't there any news of her?_

Yami had been like this for the past two weeks. He didn't say much to anyone. He didn't have good appetite. He wanted to be alone so that he could blame himself more, for there's nothing he can do at this moment.

Tea was standing beside Yami. Her blue eyes looked at Yami worriedly. She knew that he was blaming himself again. She had been trying to comfort him for the past two weeks, but it didn't work. Joey was really upset too. But Mai was with him. No one could help Yami, except Tea.

Tea's eyes became teary as she thought of poor Serenity. She was also lost, not knowing what they could do to help. Suddenly, she slammed the table in front of Yami, but he didn't even hear her.

"Yami! Snap out of it!" Tea shook Yami's right arm. Tears began to fall out of her eyes. "Everyone was acting so sad lately. I'm worried about Serenity too! I also have to worry about you, and Joey, and everyone else… Do… d-do you k-know how many pre-pressure I had?" Tea broke into a sob. Then, she continues, after wiping her tears. "I'm worry about you, Yami! Stop blaming yourself! It's not your fault… please, do you know how painful it is for me to see you acting like this?" Tears continued to fall down her cheeks.

Yami finally raised his eyes and looked at Tea. He saw that she was really worried. He stared at Tea blankly for a while. Just when Tea was about to run off, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. Yami held Tea tightly. He wiped out her tears with his fingers.

"Don't cry, Tea. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you…" Yami said softly. "Thank you for being here for me. It meant a lot to me…"

Tea was sobbing right now. She was surprised that Yami hugged her tightly. "Re-really?" She hugged him back.

Yami put his head on her shoulder. He liked the sweet fragrance from Tea. "Yes…" he answered.

Just when Yami was about to say something else, someone knocked on the door. Before they had the time to part, the door was pushed open. Joey and Mai walked in together. When they saw Yami and Tea hugging each other, their mouth dropped open. They didn't expect to see this.

"I'm sorry… did we interrupted something? Um… we'll be back then." Joey said, then turned around with Mai and they were about to walk back into the hallway.

Tea stood back behind Yami. Yami cleared his throat and called out to Joey. "No, it's fine. Did you have something to discuss with me?"

Joey and Mai turned around. Mai had a smirk on her face when she looked at Tea. Her violet eyes were sending a message to Tea. 'So, why didn't you tell me about you and Yami?' Tea then blushed, her face was as red as a cherry. She lowered her blue eyes.

"Yes. Don't ya think it's time we go visit Serenity?" Joey asked. "I think we are all worried 'bout her. There's no news of her for two weeks!" Joey whined.

"Did you say we should go visit Serenity?" Tristan jumped out of nowhere. His eyes shone when he heard about visiting Serenity. He had a dreamy look on his face.

"Yes! I've been thinking about this for a long time!" Duke jumped in too. There were stars in his eyes.

"Tristan! Duke! Don't even think 'bout getting your hands on Serenity. I'm warning ya!" Joey threatened Tristan and Duke with his fist in front of them.

"Huh huh…" Tristan and Duke smiled nervously. "Don't worry Joey, we won't. Besides… Kaiba probably won't let us near her…" Tristan analyzed the situation and sighed.

"Tristan is right…" Duke sighed too. They both looked disappointed.

"Well, let's go then. What about Yugi? Is he going?" Yami asked. He didn't see Yugi around.

"I'll go find him then…" Just when Tea was about to go, a servant rushed in really fast. He seemed terrified by something.

"Report, my king! Kaiba sent a message to Joey. He said that um… he said Joey should go to Domino castle right away. Serenity was screaming and crying something about fire. Um… she was still unconscious…" The servant said.

"WHAT?!? Seren is still unconscious? It's been two weeks!!! Why did that jerk tell us?" Joey totally lost control when he heard about the bad news. "Oh no… fire… she must be remembering the fire in our childhood… Her biggest fear is fire and hot…" Joey began pacing in the room.

Everyone in the room was also shocked. They never expected a wound would cause Serenity to fall into a coma. They also had no idea what Joey was mumbling about.

Yami was the first to regained consciousness. "All right. What are we waiting for? We have to go see Serenity!" Yami said out loudly. He grabbed Tea's hand and pulled her forward so she would snap out of it.

"Yami's right! Joey, we have to hurry. It sounds like Serenity needed you!" Mai pulled Joey's hand and dragged him forward.

"Right, right…" Joey was still shocked at the news they received. He followed Mai and Yami. Tristan and Duke were also worried. They rushed out after Joey.

_Serenity, hang in there. I'll be there soon. I'm not leaving ya again until ya wake up. I'll protect ya…_

* * *

Back at Domino Castle, Serenity was still constantly mumbling something. She was sweating profusely. She was frowning, as if it was extremely uncomfortable. The maid was trying to change the wet towel on her forehead to keep her temperature down. The doctors had already given her medicine to lower her fever. She seemed to feel a little better now, because she's no longer crying and yelling.

Seto was still in front of the window. His eyes still shut tightly. He tried to shut off all of his emotions. He was so worried lately. But he shouldn't be feeling anything, because Serenity was only a tool for him to save Mokuba. He shouldn't care for her, especially she's the mutt's little sister. But then again, it was he who stabbed her back with his sword. He was the one who hurt her. It's normal to feel guilty, since he didn't stab her on purpose. _Therefore, it's only normal to worry a little bit about her. Just a little bit. Also, she can help me._ This was Seto Kaiba's conclusion.

Suddenly, foot steps were heard. A lot of people seemed to be rushing in. Seto opened his icy blue eyes. He knew who was coming. It was Joey, Yami, and the pathetic gang. Seto snorted.

_The mutt is here. I hope he can pull Serenity out of wherever her mind wonders to…_

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**_I'm gonna stop here. I wonder does it take a long time for other people to write one chapter too? It takes me more than three hours most of the time. I had mapped out the whole story already, that's good._**

_**Oh no! The vacation is over!!! School on Monday!!! Terrible!!! (pound on the table and starts crying…) Lolz…**_

_**Okay, I hope people review my story :)**_


	11. Welcome Back, Serenity!

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I do not own the characters in the show either!!!**_

_**Okay, I'll try to update the story once per week, but as everyone should know, the first term of school is almost over. That means finals are coming up! (Scream because of horror, then faint) Therefore, I need time to study. This also means that I might not be able to update every week. So, I'll promise to update at least one per two weeks or once per month. I will try to update a.s.a.p. (of course when I have time). Fine, I'll shut up now. Continue with the story…**_

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 11

Welcome Back, Serenity!

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As loud thuds of footsteps were heard, the sight of Joey and the gang also appeared in front of Seto. Joey rushed in and gave Seto a death glare. "Kaiba! Why didn't ya tell me that Serenity was still in a coma after two weeks?" Joey questioned Seto. Then, he rushed toward the bed. His brown eyes turned watery at the sight of Serenity's pale face. He caressed her cheek with his big hand. 

"I thought she would wake up in a couple of hours, or days. Besides, she belongs to me now. Don't forget that you attended the wedding too. I don't need to inform a mutt anything that happened to her, now do I?" Seto tried to act as calm and nonchalant as he could. His icy blue eyes stared back at Joey.

"Kaiba! Don't push me! And don't EVER call me a mutt again!!!" Joey turned around and yelled at Seto.

"I can call you whatever I want. You were the one who started the fight at the church! You were the one that led to her coma!" Seto blamed all his anger and frustration on Joey. In his mind, he still believed that it was Joey's fault that made Serenity being hurt.

"Stop it you two!" Tea yelled. "Serenity needs some rest! Stop arguing like two little kids!" Tea walked over to Serenity with watery eyes. She sat down beside the bed and held onto Serenity's cold hand. "Serenity, we are here. All of your friends are here with you. Hang in there and please, wake up soon. We are all worried about you." Tea said quietly to Serenity. She hoped that her voice would help Serenity gain more strength and will to wake up.

"Hmph! I don't need you to tell me what to do, friendship girl." Seto snorted at Tea's order. He was about to turn around to go back to the window when he noticed both Tristan and Duke got next the bed and they were trying to grab Serenity's hand and touch her face. Seto instantly rushed toward Serenity and pushed both Tristan and Duke out of the way. He growled at them, "Stay away from her!"

Tristan and Duke was on the ground because of the strong push Seto gave them. "Hey man, why did you do that for?" Tristan complained. "Yea, we are Serenity's friend too, you know. We just wanted to help her get better." Duke wined too.

"Hmph. Anyone clever enough could tell you guys have some feelings for her." Seto snorted again. "If you want, you can talk to her, but don't come close." He said with a freezing voice and a death glare.

"Gee, fine. You don't have to bite, you know." Tristan said. "Yea…" Duke agreed with Tristan. They stood up, both looking at Seto with jealousy. They were extremely pissed that Kaiba get to marry their dream girl. They were even angrier now that they couldn't even get close to their dream girl.

Joey sat back down next to the bed. He grabbed Serenity's hand again and put her hand to his face. He ignored Seto and started talking to Serenity. Mai also came close to Joey. She grabbed onto Joey's hand, along with Serenity's hand held by Joey. "Joey, now that you are here with Serenity, I'm sure she will be fine soon." Mai wanted to comfort Joey.

Seto walked back to the window, but didn't turn around to face the outside of the window. He was eying Tristan and Duke so they would keep their distant.

"Serenity, I'm here. I'm Joey, your brother. Don't give up sis, come back to us." Joey said softly to her. _Maybe she will hear us if we keep on talking to her._ Joey thought.

"Hun, we are all here. You have to wake up. Don't let us worry about you." Mai said softly to Serenity. "You can hear me, right? Your friends are all here."

Yami didn't say anything since he entered the room. He walked towards Seto and stood next to him. "Kaiba. You really should have told us about Serenity's condition. Joey is her older brother after all. He should know how she was doing." Yami tried to talk some sense into the stubborn Seto.

"So? I don't need to hear your trash talk." Seto snapped at Yami, giving him a cold look.

"Be reasonable, Kaiba! Serenity needed her brother the most at a time like this, and her friends. I believe she barely knows you, so you definitely couldn't help her that much!" Yami suppressed his voice so that he wouldn't be too loud.

"Oh yeah? I have the best doctors to heal Serenity. Besides, aren't you guys here already? This conversation is over. I don't want to hear another word from you." Seto said nonchalantly and turned away.

Yami let out a sigh. _Kaiba will never change his arrogant attitude towards others. Poor Serenity, how will she survive in his castle?_ But there was nothing he could do right now. He walked towards the bed, standing next to Tea. He also tried to say something to Serenity, trying to strengthen her will for survival.

As Serenity's friends and especially her brother were now with her, perhaps she would be able to wake up sooner…

* * *

Serenity was still sitting on the ground, allowing the fire around her to keep on burning. However, the fire didn't really burn her, it was just the high temperature that made her extremely uncomfortable. She had given up all of her hopes that someone would come to save her from the darkness. She had been sitting here for an awfully long time. But no one appeared. Joey didn't come. All of her friends didn't come. And Seto didn't come. 

Suddenly, she heard distant voices talking to her. She heard someone called out her name several times. Listen more carefully, the voice seemed like all of her friends. Joey's voice was there too.

"Joey?" Serenity mumbled hesitantly. She raised her head and looked up at the light all the way up there. She could never reach the light. It was too high up. She had no idea how deep she had fallen down. When Serenity was about to give up again, someone tapped her on her shoulder.

Serenity jumped up and turned around. She saw Joey! "Joey! You came!" She exclaimed. She gained back more energy and hope after she saw Joey. _I knew he will come and save me, just like he always does!_ She smiled and jump toward Joey. But just when she was about to touch him, he disappeared. Serenity froze. Although the fire around her seemed to have gone already, she was still a bit scared. She looked around for traces of Joey. Then, she saw Tristan some distant away from her, on top closer to the light.

"Tristan? Are you going to help me get out of this dark abyss?" She yelled at him. He was all the way up there. How could she reach him? She saw that Tristan was smiling at her. He was holding out one hand, hinting for her to go to him. Serenity found a little more strength. Then, her body was floating upward very slowly.

"I'm flying?!?" Serenity was shocked. Her body just float up, like there was no gravity down there. She smiled happily and wanted to reach her friend faster. But Tristan was flying upward too fast for her to catch up. Soon, he disappeared into the light. "Wait, Tristan! Don't leave me behind again!"

Duke appeared right next to Serenity. He extended an arm toward Serenity and pulled her up faster to the light. She was smiling that her friends were here. Duke was even helping her get closer to the light. When she was about to say something to Duke, he let go and flew upward himself. "Duke! Don't go yet! Help me!" But Duke smiled before disappearing into the light.

Then, she saw Tea near the light. She was smiling at her. Tea was saying something to Serenity, but she couldn't hear because Tea was too far away. Serenity tried to go to Tea as fast as she could. Her friends are finally here to save her. She was no longer alone in the darkness. A faint smile appeared on Serenity's face, as she extended her arms so that she could reach her friends faster.

Then, Yami was smiling at her all the way at the light. He held Tea's hands and stopped for a while. Then, Yami and Tea disappeared again into the light. "Wait for me Tea! I'll be there soon! I'm almost there!" Serenity was desperate to fly into the light. She didn't want to stay in the darkness any longer. Just when she was about to reach the light, a hand grabbed her smooth hand. She saw a handsome man with brown hair and cold blue eyes. "Seto…" Serenity was shocked that Seto was here too. With his strong arm, Seto pulled Serenity into the light…

* * *

Serenity blinked several times. Her fingers also moved a little. But she frowned at the light, which was blinding her for the moment. She tried to open her eyes when she felt a sharp pain on her back. 

"Ah…" Serenity mumbled in response to the pain. Her movements had already informed all of the people around her that she had finally awakened.

"Serenity! Sis! Ya are finally awake! Welcome back to the wonderful world!" The joyful voice of Joey sounded so close to her. He grabbed her hand tightly, as if afraid to loose her again.

"Serenity! You are awake!" She heard many voices exclaimed. She recognized most of them. It was Yami, Tea, Mai, Tristan, and Duke! They were all here with her!

"Thank god you have finally awakened! It's been three weeks already!" Tea exclaimed. They had been here for one week already. They were staying in the room with Serenity everyday. Of course, Seto Kaiba was the one who allowed them to stay, otherwise they would have been all kicked out of the Domino Castle already.

"Serenity! Do you know that we have all been here for one whole week without leaving your side? We were so worried about you!" Mai said.

Everyone had an expression of relieves on their faces. Serenity had finally awakened from her coma! Serenity blinked some more to get use to the light. She was sort of confused by what her brother and friends were telling her. _What are they talking about? Have I been unconscious for so long? Why would I be unconscious?_ She finally opened her eyes and looked around her.

Joey was at her left, with Mai beside him. Duke and Tristan were at the back of the bed. Tea and Yami was on the right of the bed. There were also several old men with long white beards. They seemed to be doctors. But no sign of Seto Kaiba. Serenity was a bit disappointed that Seto wasn't there. She lowered her eyes to cover her disappointment in the eyes. _Right, now I remembered, Seto stabbed me on the back, that's why my back hurts… ouch._

"Hey guys! Hey Joey!" Serenity said, but her voice was a bit dry. "Where's Se…" She was cut off by a cold voice. The voice was from the window direction, so she turned to see who it was.

"Finally awake? That took long enough." Seto said, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. He was observing Serenity from the window. _She finally awakened. She seemed much better, not as pale as last week._

Serenity was surprised to find Seto in the room too. She thought he was probably doing some paper works about his kingdom instead of wasting his time on her. He probably didn't even like her. She was still confused on his intention to marry her. But she felt dizzy after thinking, because she just recovered from a coma. She hasn't eaten for three months. She needed to rest right now. _I'll think about that later._

"Um… I'm still very tired… can I get some rest first? Sorry guys…" Serenity felt guilty that her friends had been here for the whole week, but she wanted to get some rest right after she wake up, so they'll have to leave.

"It's okay, sis. We'll stay in the guest rooms. I'll come and see ya after ya get some rest, k?" Joey asked. Serenity smiled happily and nodded her head. Joey leaned down and kissed Serenity's forehead. He then pulled up the sheet to cover her better and went out with the others, leaving Seto with Serenity. Although Seto didn't really want the whole gangs to stay, but seeing the smile on Serenity's face made him swallow his refusal to let the gang stay in his castle. Therefore, he just kept quiet.

Serenity closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. Her soft auburn hair was spread out on the white pillow. She turned to her side, facing the window, which was also where Seto was standing.

_You owe her an apology._ Seto reminded himself, but his arrogant attitude prevented him from apologizing to Serenity about hurting her. He just stood there for a couple of minutes, with his icy cobalt eyes observing Serenity's face.

_When is she going to be able to tell me everything about making swords? I have wasted three weeks already! _Seto's arrogant self asked impatiently.

_But she just woke up. I should let her rest some more. Maybe she will be more willing to tell me if I treat her nicer. Besides, I do have to apologize for wounding her._ The nice side of Seto thought.

_What is wrong with me? Why do I care for her? What about Mokuba, huh? My little brother is much more important than that Wheeler! She is a Wheeler, don't forget! _Rebuked the cold side of Seto.

Seto was now frustrated. He was struggling about what he should do to Serenity next. Should he let her rest for another week, or make her help him right away? He was also a bit confused about his feelings in his heart. With frustration, he stormed out of the room, banging the door loudly. _Damn it! I need to think things over!_ Seto stormed back into his library to think alone.

Serenity jumped at the banging of the door. She thought that everyone went out already, including Seto. _Apparently not. He was in the room after everyone left!_ Serenity blushed a little at the thought of Seto watching her sleeping with his cold sapphire eyes. But then, she was too tired to think of anything now. Her eyes slowly closed and she fall asleep within five minutes. She had a sweet smile on her face, indicating she was having some happy dreams.

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_**Okay, I'll stop here. I'm really tired, probably didn't get enough sleep yesterday. (Look hatefully at the pile of homework in front of me. Blame the homework and school that I didn't have enough sleep.) Lolz. I simply couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I'm going to take a nap.**_

_**Just one more thing, please review! Thanks.**_


	12. The Secret Room Underground

_**Disclaimer: I most certainly do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I can never create something so wonderful (sigh…)**_

_**Author's note: Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewer. But it is really tiresome to keep on posting messages back to you guys, please forgive me. If you have any comments, I welcome you to email me, and I'll probably reply back. Again, thanks to all of my reviewers, you guys are the best! Okay, now continue with the story. I hope you will enjoy it.**_

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 12

The Secret Room Underground

* * *

In the morning, the warm sunlight shone into Serenity's room from the big windows. The white curtains were already pulled open, allowing the sunlight to light up the luxurious room. Serenity was still sleeping. It was only her second day awakened from the coma. No one was in her room, except Seto Kaiba. After all, this was also his room. He was sitting at the blue sofa far away from the bed, thinking about what happened yesterday. 

Yesterday, after he banged the door shut out of frustration, he went back to sit in his personal library and buried his head into all the papers and issues of his kingdom. He tried to occupy his thoughts with works. He didn't know why he was so confused, and what were all those feelings inside of his heart. However, he was extremely unhappy about one thing. Yami and the mutt had went to his library and demanded that they stay in Domino castle for a few more days, until Serenity feels better. Although Seto didn't want other people around in his castle, he didn't say anything to them. He could see that Serenity really depended on the mutt, and she would need him in order to recover faster. Then, he couldn't focus on his works, so he walked out of the library, wondering in the castle. When he finally realized where he was, he was already back in his own room. Serenity was asleep on the bed, with a faint smile on her face…

Seto was staring at Serenity. He observed her beautiful form on the bed. Her eyes were shut, preventing him to look at her big and hazel eyes. He had to admit, her eyes were extremely beautiful. Through her eyes, one could see her innocence and pureness. Serenity's auburn hair was spread out on the white pillow. _Her hair must be very soft… It would be great to feel the softness of her beautiful hair…_ Seto thought. Although Serenity's body was totally covered by the soft silk sheet, Seto could just imagine her position right now. Suddenly, his eyes returned to usual keenness and coldness. He shook his head slightly, and moved his cerulean eyes toward the windows. He saw the bright sunlight shinning into the room, making the tiles on the floor extremely white and he could see his own reflection in the tiles.

_What was I doing here? Sitting here like an idiot for the whole night!_ Seto snapped out of his thoughts. He stood up from the blue sofa and decided to go back to his own library. When he was about to go out, he saw that there was something on the table. For the past three weeks, everyone was just too busy worrying about Serenity. No one noticed the object on the table next to the bed.

Seto walked over to the brown table. There were a lot of stuff on there, such as make ups, hair brushes, a vase of white lilies, and a big mirror. Those objects were all neatly lined up. Why were those objects for girls in Seto's room? Well, it was for Serenity to prepare for the wedding. But she got hurt in the church of the wedding, so all those stuff were still there. However, the object that Seto saw stood out because it was all alone in the middle of the table. When he reached the table, he picked up that object. His eye immediately widened in shock.

_What the…? Why is this on the table???_ Seto looked at the object, with eyes wide opened. He reached into his pocket on his long trench coat and pulled out another exactly alike object. It was a white jade of the shape of his favorite Egyptian monster—Blue Eye White Dragon! He held up the jade dragon and looked at it under the sun. _It can't be!_ It was translucent under the sun. Such a rare jade was hard to find; not to mention the rare jade made into his favorite dragon. Seto compared the two dragons in his hands. The patterns were exactly alike. He remembered that there were only four such white jade dragon in the world. Seto himself had one in his pocket; he gave one to his beloved little brother, Mokuba; the other one he kept in his security box in his library. He didn't remember what happened to the last jade. He had lost it about six years ago, or so he thought. (He didn't remember about the past, because he desperately wanted to forget the horrible past.) _Where did this come from?_ Seto was still shocked to find the jade that he 'lost' a long time ago back on his table.

_Hmph… forget it. It's not important. I have no use for it anyway. I should have just told the servant to make two, one for me and one for Mokuba. Why bother to make four?_ Seto put the jade dragon back onto the table and walked out of the room. He closed the door lightly so he wouldn't wake Serenity up. He changed his mind about going back to the library. He turned toward the stairs and went to the basement. There were two guards in heavy armored with swords standing at the entrance of the stairs. Seto walked past the guards and walked towards the door down the hallway. He pushed open a big and heavy door. The door was made of steel, painted black. Behind the door was the room he ordered to be built after Mokuba was taken away by Maximillion Pegasus. No one in the world, not even the people in his kingdom, except those that worked in there, knew about this underground place.

When the door opened, heat immediately blew upon his face, making his bangs fly slightly backward. Seto didn't even mind the heat, as if he was already used to the heat after being exposed to it for a long time. The sounds of steel being hit upon could be heard the instant the door opened. _Ding! Bang! Ding!_ There were about one hundred workers holding the heavy hammer, hitting on the red hot steel on the table. They were welding swords. There were also about twenty really high structures that looked like chimneys. Those chimneys had white steams coming out of the opening at the top. At the bottom of the chimney, there was an opening, and red hot melted steel (liquid) flowed out of the opening into a container. The workers poured those melted steel and iron into the mold of a sharp, long sword. Then, when the steel or iron had cool down a bit, they started to use heavy hammers to hit and weld the sword. Inside of the chimneys were liquids of melted steel and iron, as should be inferred. The workers were all sweating at both the heat and the physical labor.

Seto walked past some of the workers, inspecting on the progress. The head of the worker saw Seto and immediately ran towards him to report on their progress.

"My lord! We are still trying to figure out how to weld the strongest sword that could never break." Reported the head of the worker timidly. Seto would come here almost once every two days, but he didn't came for the past three weeks. Every time Seto came, the workers would all be scolded at the slow progresses or no progresses at all that they made. The workers were just about to celebrate that their king didn't come down here for three weeks, but now their king was here. Many workers started to sweat nervously. Almost all of them stopped working and stared at Seto, with cold sweat of course.

"Hmph! Imbeciles." Seto snorted. He was already in a bad mood for the past three weeks. "If you can't even do what I ask you to do, then what use have I for you?" Seto growled. He was directing his comment to all of the workers. Every worker lowered their heads. They didn't have courage to continue looking at their king's icy blue eyes.

"We're so sorry, my lord…" The head of the worker apologized meekly. "But without the newest insight into wielding the sword, our swords are already considered the best in the world; well… only one sword could break our swords… But our swords could break every other swords in the world…" He tried to explain to Seto.

"Stop finding excuses! If you imbeciles couldn't do it, I'll find a way and wield the sword myself" Seto growled angrily.

"Forgive us, my lord! But one as noble as you shouldn't be working in such a hot environment… We'll do our best!" The head of the workers were sweating profusely. He wouldn't dare let his king work here himself. He might be punished by his king for being useless, or he might be punished by god for making his divine king work like a laborer. Every workers kneeled down at the words of their head. They all said aloud "Don't worry my lord, we'll do our best."

"Hmph! You imbeciles better wield the strongest sword by the end of the month. My patience is running out! By the end of the month, no sword will means the death of all of you!" Seto threatened. With that, he turned around and went back to his library, leaving the workers to rush back to their position and started making the swords again…

* * *

_Knock! Knock!_ There were two light knocks on the door. The person who was knocking tried not to wake the person in to room up. 

Serenity moaned slightly. She slowly opened her sleepy eyes up. She sat up on the soft bed, with her long auburn hair hanging smoothly down her back. She extended her arms out to stretch them. _Where am I?_ Serenity was confused about her location after just waking up. It's not her fault. She didn't even had the chance to get use to her new 'home' when she was wounded and then fallen into a coma. She just woke up yesterday from her coma. _Silly me… I'm in Domino Castle… How can I forget?_ She looked a little disappointed that she was no longer with Joey and her friends. She tried to get off the bed, but her backs hurt a little. Serenity moaned out once again. _I had to be more careful not to pull my muscle on my back._ She reminded herself.

_Knock! Knock!_ The door was being knocked again. It was the knocks that had awaken Serenity from her sweet dreams. "Who is it?" Serenity asked. She couldn't yell out too loud, because her back might hurt if she use too much energy.

"It's me, sis. Can I come in?" The voice of Joey Wheeler reached Serenity's ear. "Sure, Joey!" Serenity yelled cheerfully. But then she regretted doing that, for her wound on the back began to hurt a little, so she moaned slightly.

Joey opened the door and his head, with messy blonde hair, came out from behind the door first, making sure that the arrogant jerk (Kaiba) wasn't in the room. After he saw that only Serenity was in the big room, he walked in. Serenity giggled at Joey's reaction. She knew that his brother had always resented Seto Kaiba for his arrogant attitude. She also believed that the other reason hated Kaiba so much was because of the rumors about how cruel and heartless Kaiba was. Although she didn't know much about Kaiba, but after seeing him, she thought that maybe Kaiba was just cold. _The rumors about Kaiba being evil and bloodthirsty was probably not true._ Serenity thought optimistically.

"Mornin sis! How are ya feeling?" Joey interrupted Serenity's train of thought. "Hey sis, what'd ya thinking 'bout?"

"Oh nothing… nothing Joey." Serenity lied. She didn't want her big brother to start acting furiously because she was thinking about Seto Kaiba.

"Ya sure, sis? Ya can tell me anything on your mind." Joey said, with suspicious brown eyes. He pulled a wooden chair with red cushion on it towards the bed and sat down.

"Yes, Joey. I'm not thinking about anything." Serenity said. "Set… no, Kaiba let you stay here?" Serenity asked, shocked that Joey was still allowed to stay in the room. From what she had observed, Kaiba seemed to dislike Joey very much. He insulted Joey as a mutt, she remembered. She tried to look calm, because she almost called out Seto Kaiba's first name. She believed that Joey would be angered if the word 'Seto' came out of her mouth.

"Hmph! That arrogant jerk! He didn't even send us a message saying that ya're in a coma. What does he think he is?" Joey had an angry expression on his face. He tightened his fists and held them in front of Serenity, making punching movements. "I'd like very much to kick his ass, sis."

Serenity gasped. "Joey! Did you forget what happened last time you tried to fight Kaiba?"

"… Don't mention that, Seren. That's why you were wounded. I'm sorry, sis. I shouldn't have tried to challenge Kaiba when you were just right there. I wasn't thinking clearly at the wedding." Joey lowered his head in regret, but he gritted his teeth when he said the word 'wedding'.

"It's okay Joey, I'm fine now." Serenity said, reaching her had to Joey's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Will you stay with me for a couple of days more? I think Kaiba would kick all of you out soon after I recover…"

"Of course, Seren. We'll all stay here for a few more days. We can…" Joey was interrupted when Tristan and Duke ran in; behind them was Mai with her angry violet eyes staring at both Tristan and Duke.

Tristan rushed to the other side of the bed and grabbed Serenity's hand. "Morning, Serenity!" He said cheerfully. "I'm so happy that you are fine!" Tristan's pointy dark brown hair was combed neatly. His eyes could only be seen like two lines, because he was smiling too happily at Serenity.

Duke rushed towards Tristan and smacked Tristan's hand off of Serenity. He then pushed Tristan aside and grabbed Serenity's hand. "Serenity! I'm extremely happy to see you wake up! Allow me to give you this." Duke's green eyes gave Serenity a sexy look, then he held out a pink flower and gave it to Serenity. "Pink rose, the flower that resembles your beauty, Serenity." Duke said with his low and seductive voice.

"… um… Thank you, Duke…" Serenity was uncertain of what to do. She tried to take her hands back from Duke. She didn't take the rose from him, but he stuck the rose into her hand. She blushed a little. She knew that both Tristan and Duke liked her, but he only saw them as good friends. Besides, she's married now…

Tristan came back next to Duke and pushed Duke away. Veins popping on Tristan's forehead because Duke pushed him away from Serenity. Then, Tristan was frustrated at himself for letting Duke give Serenity a pretty pink rose. _Why didn't I think of giving her a gift?_ Tristan thought angrily.

"Hey, watch it, Tristan! Why did you push me, huh?" Duke screamed angrily. He came back face to face with Tristan and was about to punch Tristan in the face.

"I don't think so!" Tristan said, knowing what Duke was going to do to him. Just when Tristan was about to hit Tristan in the stomach, Joey growled angrily, stopping the fight between Tristan and Duke.

"Stop it, ya two! What did ya think ya're doing? Seren needs some rest!" Joey growled. He quickly ran around the bed to the opposite side, where the two were standing. He pulled them apart and growled again. "Didn't I warned ya two before?!? Don't even think 'bout getting ya hands on my sista!"

"But, Joey…" Duke and Tristan started to wine again. They had completely forgotten where they were. They had also forgotten that they had attended the wedding of Serenity and Kaiba. They couldn't believe that Kaiba took their dream girl away from them! Such an unpleasant and humiliating memory was already wiped out of their minds.

"My jade! Where is it?" Serenity suddenly screamed. She wanted to take the jade-dragon necklace that she always wears, but found that the necklace wasn't around her neck. She had forgotten that she took it off to put on another necklace during the wedding.

Joey, Tristan, and Duke turned to look at Serenity. She was now turning her sheets up and down, thinking that the necklace might be on the bed or tangled in the sheets somewhere. She fumbled around the bed, but didn't find anything. "Joey! Where's my necklace? Have you seen it?" Serenity was on the verge of crying. She liked that jade very much, even though she didn't remember how she got the jade.

"What necklace?" All three of them asked at once. They were confused about what Serenity was talking about. Even Joey had never notice that Serenity wore a jade-dragon necklace around her neck.

Serenity stopped fumbling. She looked up at them. Her eyes turned watery at the thought of losing the necklace forever. The necklace was very important to her. It had been through hardship and loneliness with her in the past six years. "I have a white jade necklace. It was in the shape of a dragon. It has two eyes made out of blue stones that shines under the sun. Also, the whole jade was translucent under the sun. It's really pretty! Please, help me find it."

"Sure…" The three guys started looking all over the room. Although they didn't know what's so special about that necklace, but since Serenity really wanted it, they'll help her find it. Tristan lowered his body and searched on the floor. He even looked under the bed, but didn't see anything. Duke went to all the closets and drawers. He opened every closets and drawers up, trying to see if the necklace might be there. Serenity continued to fumble on the bed. Joey was just standing there. He looked around the room, pondering on where the necklace might be. Suddenly, his brown eyes caught something on the table next to the bed.

"Ah-ha! It's on the table, sis!" Joey said. He walked to the table and picked up the necklace. "It's beautiful! Where did ya get this, sis? I want one too… Wait a minute, this is the Blue Eyes White Dragon! Where did ya get this, seriously?" Joey was shocked that his sister would possess a necklace in the shape of the ancient Egyptian monster.

"Give me, Joey!" Serenity held out her hand, desperately to take her necklace back. "Thanks, guys, for helping me out!" Serenity said once Joey gave the necklace back to her. Then, she remembered that Joey asked her a question. "I don't really remember where I got this necklace, but it is so beautiful! I never take it off and it helped me make it through all those hard years with mother."

"Oh…" They all answered together, amazed at the beauty of the white jade. Everyone could tell that the white jade was extremely rare to be able to turn translucent under the sun. They were also amazed at the design of the necklace. It must be hard to carve such a complicated design onto the jade.

"Hey, why don't we take Serenity to the big garden outside? The sun seemed nice and warm today." Suggested Tristan.

"Yea, I want to go outside too!" Serenity said cheerfully. She felt a bit uncomfortable just lying on the bed. Besides, she didn't move much in the past three weeks due to her coma. It would be nice to take a slow walk outside in the beautiful garden.

"Sure, sis. Let's go!" Joey said. He picked Serenity up by her arm and supported her, so that she wouldn't fall. His movement showed how much he loved his little sister, and might at time be overprotective of her.

"I'm fine, Joey, I can walk by myself…" Serenity said. She tried to stand up on her own instead of leaning a bit towards Joey.

"Let me help ya, sis. I didn't want to see ya fall. Ya're still a bit weak after the coma." Joey insisted on holding onto Serenity. Tristan and Duke looked at Joey and Serenity. They envy Joey for being able to held onto the shoulder of Serenity. They wanted to do the same too, but with Joey around, they won't have the chance to do it.

They walked toward the door, then down the long hallway, and finally out of the castle into the garden. It took them about twenty minutes to get to the garden, proving that the Domino Castle was extremely huge.

Serenity smiled happily at the sight of the garden. There were white lilies, red roses, red roses, white daisies, blue and purple orchids, and some little orange flowers that she didn't recognize. "It's so beautiful!" Serenity smile sweetly at Joey. She inhaled deeply. The air was fresh! The grass were green and soft. There were also some trees, with beautiful green leaves. On some of the trees, there were fruits. Serenity saw several apple trees and several orange trees. She raised her head and saw the clear blue sky, with white cotton clouds.

Serenity, Joey, Tristan, and Duke were too focused on the beautiful scene that they saw in the garden. They didn't realize a pair of icy blue eyes were also looking out the window from the second floor (library). The owner of that icy blue eyes noticed the four figures at the garden and stared at them, observing every moves they made…

* * *

_**Not much happened in this chapter… Next chapter will be more interactions between Kaiba and Serenity :). Okay, please review!!!**_


	13. The Incident in the Garden

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, otherwise I will be traveling around the world…**_

**_Author's note: I'm so sorry for updating so late. I was busy with the finals and especially the U.S. History Regents. Thank God everything is over now, phew… Okay, so I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! And thank you to all of my reviewers! You guys are the best :)_**

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 13

The Incident in the Garden

* * *

From the window from the library, a pair of icy blue eyes was watching the four people in the garden. The person in the shadow was indeed Seto Kaiba. He was very unhappy to see the mutt and his two idiotic friends hanging out with Serenity. _What do they think they are doing? She needs some rest in her own room right now! Why are they out in the garden?!?_ Seto was furious seeing them in the garden. He frowned and combed his dark brown hair with his right hand.

Suddenly, Seto noticed Serenity was holding something in her hands. He glared at the object in Serenity's hand. It was a pink rose! Seto's eyes immediately flared up and turned red. He tightened his fists at his sides and gritted his teeth. _Who gave her the pink rose?!? The only person allowed to give her roses around here is ME!!! How dare she accept the rose from other men? The rose must be from one of those two idiots down there. What were their names again? Oh yeah, Duke Devlin and Tristan Taylor. They will be out of my castle this afternoon!!!_ Then, his cerulean eyes went back act watching those four people in the garden.

He saw Serenity was smiling happily at Joey after he said something. Joey was holding Serenity by her arm so that she wouldn't faint. She still seemed a little pale to be walking around in the garden. It seemed like she might faint if no one was around to support her. Suddenly, Seto saw a maid running towards the four of them. She had a worried look on her face. She almost fell to the ground because of rushing too fast. The maid said something to Joey, then Joey's face turned all white. No trace of blood was left on his face. _Hmph! Now what? Why is the mutt so scared?_ Seto smirked at Joey's expression on his face.

Then, Joey suddenly yelled out something. Tristan and Duke rushed to his side and held on to Serenity's arms. Joey rushed off without the maid. The maid was trailing behind Joey, trying to catch up to him. They both disappeared into the castle, which Seto was no longer able to see. Seto turned his gaze back to Serenity. She was on the verge of crying. She tried to follow Joey, but Tristan and Duke pulled her back. Then it seemed like Tristan and Duke were trying to make her laugh. Tristan also seized the chance and picked two red roses from Seto's garden and presented the roses to Serenity. Serenity seemed a little distracted and she stared at the roses blankly. Then, she hesitated about taking Tristan's roses. Seto saw all of this. He tightened his fists more, so his knuckles turned white and made the crackling sounds. _Those two idiots better let go of Serenity's arms. If she dare take the roses from Tristan, she's going to pay for her action!!!_

When Seto saw that Tristan took Serenity's hands and tucked the roses into her hands, Seto punched the wall of the library with his right fist. He cursed at Tristan and gritted his teeth. Seto's veins popping on his forehead, which showed how furious he was. He shot a death glare to the three people in the garden, then rushed out of the library. _Those two idiots are not staying in my castle any longer!!!_

Seto pushed open the door to the library violently. Then, he banged the door very loudly, waking up the two guards outside of the library. He then rushed down the hallway while cursing loudly in his mind. He didn't even realize why he was so angry with Duke and Tristan. He was too angry right now to think with his brain. All he knew was he must kick those two people out of his castle so they won't be able to fly around Serenity like two butterflies trying to attract Serenity's attention. He could tell clearly that those two had some kind of crush on Serenity. _No body is going to humiliate me by taking Serenity's heart away! She belonged to me! Seto Kaiba! The King of Domino Kingdom! She is the Queen now, so everything she owned now belonged to me! I won't allow the shame of a runaway queen to humiliate me in the world!_

* * *

Joey held onto Serenity's right arm and carefully led her into the garden. Tristan and Duke were trailing behind them. Serenity's eyes brightened when she saw the beautiful garden in front of her. She took a breath and loved the fresh air she smelt. "Joey! It's so beautiful out here! It's much better than lying on the bed all day!" Serenity smiled happily at Joey. Her hazel eyes wondered around the garden and loved the beauty of it. For some reason, he felt that the garden was very similar to another garden, but it's somewhat different. In her mind, she seemed to remember going to one beautiful garden one day to cry, but she didn't quite remember the rest of that day. She forgot what happened after she cried in the garden. But one thing is for sure, that garden was different from this one. Besides, there was simply now way for a child to wonder into the garden of Domino Castle.

"Sis, if ya like the garden, I could tell Yami to build a similar garden in his castle, ya know? So that when ya come visit me and all ya friends, ya can be happy too in the garden!" Joey said to Serenity. He loved her so much that he was willing to do anything to make her happy.

"Hee hee…" Serenity giggled at what his brother had said. She looked at his brother. He was now smiling lovingly at her, with his somewhat messy blonde hair and his brown eyes. _It was great to have a big brother!_ Serenity smiled with satisfaction. "It's okay, Joey. You don't have to build a garden just for me. All I needed is you. Thanks for always being there for me, Joey!" Serenity hugged Joey and Joey gave her a big bear hug too.

The scene almost made Duke and Tristan jealous. Tristan was glaring at Joey with jealousy. Even though Joey was Serenity's big brother, but Tristan was jealous that Joey had the chance to hug Serenity. _Why can't I hug Serenity?_ Tristan whined.

Duke was also glaring at Joey with his green eyes. He twirled his hair out of frustration. _I want to hug Serenity too!_ Duke whined too. Just when they were about to approach Joey and Serenity to try to break up the embrace that made them jealous, the footsteps of someone approaching them were heard. The person seemed to be in a hurry.

Tristan and Duke turned their head around, toward the direction of the door that leads to the garden. Joey also let go of Serenity and held her arm again. He turned around and saw a maid running towards them. She seemed to be in a hurry. She also seemed to be on the verge of crying.

"Ah…" The maid let out of small scream of fear when she almost fell because of rushing too fast towards Joey. The maid faltered a bit, but luckily she gained her balance. She let out a sighed of relieve and continue running toward Joey.

The maid had short black hair, with a pair of gray eyes. She finally got to Joey. "Mr. Wheeler, something… s-something is w-wrong with Ms. V-Valentine…" the maid stuttered because of fear. She started crying before she could continue. "Her face was… was v-very p-pale… She keeps on saying your name…" The maid sobbed. She had never been so scared before. It was her first month working in Domino Castle, because the king needed more maids and servants for his new guests. Now, she might get fired because she couldn't even take care of one of the guest, Ms. Valentine. She needed the job, for she needed to take money back to her grandparents living in Domino Kingdom.

"What did ya just say?!?" Joey yelled at the poor maid. The maid trembled a bit. "What's wrong with Mai?" Joey questioned the maid.

"I… I… I don't k-know…" The maid continued to cry. "I'm so sorry… Please forgive me…"

"Whateva!" Joey looked angry at the maid. "Tristan and Duke, take care of Seren. I'm gonna go check on Mai." Joey yelled at Tristan and Duke. He let them held onto Serenity's arms and was about to run off to see Mai.

"Wait Joey! I want to go too!" Serenity tried to go towards Joey, but Tristan and Duke pulled her back. Just when Serenity was about to shove both of the hands of Duke and Tristan, Joey replied.

"No sis. Ya stay here and enjoy the fresh air. Mai's gonna be fine. I'll go check on her. Don't worry sis. Ya really need some rest and some relaxation." Joey said in a calm voice. He didn't want to worry Serenity anymore. She just recovered from a terrible wound. She needed to be happy right now so that her wound would heal faster. Only Joey knew that he was worried sick in his heart about Mai, but he couldn't let Serenity find out about this. Joey pushed aside the maid, who was standing in front of him with her watery eyes. He started rushing into the castle. _What's wrong, Mai? Wait, I'm coming! I hope ya're going to be fine._

Serenity was on the verge of crying. She knew that Joey must be worried sick about Mai. She could tell that Joey loved Mai, even when she first got back to Yami Kingdom. She knew that Mai liked Joey too from the way she was always looking at Joey. She tried to follow Joey, but Duke and Tristan pulled her back again.

"Guys! I'm going to go see Mai! Stop pulling on my arms!" Serenity was angry now. She didn't need two guys preventing her from going to see Mai. Mai had always been like a big sister to her. "Let me go!"

"No, no, Serenity. Joey said you should enjoy the fresh air and relax! You need to be happy so you will heal faster, isn't that what the doctor said?" Duke put on a seductive smile. He finally had the chance to be with Serenity, without Joey or Kaiba glaring at him. But there was still one big problem—Tristan. _If I could get Tristan to go somewhere, then I can be with Serenity alone._ Duke smirked. He started brainstorming on what he could do to get Tristan out of his sight.

"But, I'm worried about Mai! How can I enjoy the view of the garden when something is wrong with Mai? Now let go of my hands!" Serenity started to struggle to get her arms free.

Suddenly, two red roses popped in front of her eyes. Serenity almost screamed because she thought it was some kind of bugs jumping in front of her. She stepped back and her eyes widened with fear. "What is this?!?" Serenity shrieked. The roses were too close to her eyes that she couldn't tell what the red stuff was.

"Relax, Serenity." Tristan said. He pulled the red roses away from Serenity's face. He saw that since Joey left, and Duke was obviously thinking about something evil, according to his evil smirk on the face, Tristan decided to seize the rare chance and picked off two red roses from Kaiba's garden. He was still angry about this morning when Duke gave one pink rose to Serenity. _Hee hee, now I'll be able to give Serenity TWO roses! They are RED roses, representing LOVE! Ah-hah! Beat that, Duke!_ Tristan was smirking in his mind. He was going to give Serenity TWO RED ROSES, not one pink rose! Surely Serenity would thank him more than thanking Duke, because he will be the one to give her MORE roses. "Serenity, please accept my red roses. You know what RED roses represent, right? Unlike someone's pink rose, which doesn't represent love." Tristan was smirking at Duke in his triumph of victory. He even emphasized the word red to tease Duke.

"Huh? What?" Serenity stared at the roses in front of her blankly. She was distracted from her thought of following Joey to Mai's guest room. _Did I just hear Tristan said red roses mean love? Then that means…_ Serenity's eyes widened at the hint that Tristan was giving her. _Oh my god! Why is Tristan saying this? I know both Tristan and Duke have a crush on me, but I'm married now… What is Seto… I mean Kaiba going to react when he finds out?_ Serenity suddenly got a chill and shiver down her spine, as if someone was glaring at her angrily. She looked around the garden, but no one else was there. She finally snapped back to reality and hesitated from taking the roses. "But Tristan… You know that I'm…" She was cut off by Tristan's hurtful voice.

"Aww, Serenity! I'm hurt! If you take the pink rose from Duke this morning, why don't you accept my red roses?" Tristan whined. He was looking at Serenity with sad eyes.

"I didn't accept the pink rose from Duke, he tucked the rose into my hands…" Serenity explained.

"Serenity! How can you say that! I'm hurt too!" Duke protested. He glared at Tristan. _It was all Tristan's fault! Why did he have to give Serenity roses too?_

"I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you guys… but I'm mar-" Serenity tried to say that she couldn't love them back, and besides, she's married now. But this time, Tristan grabbed her hand and tucked the two red roses into her hands. "Tristan! I say…" Just when Serenity was about to protest, a shadow suddenly covered her. Someone was standing behind her. Serenity trembled a bit. For some reason, she knew that the person standing behind her wasn't friendly at all. Then, the red roses and the pink rose in her hands were snatched away from her. She saw that the roses were thrown onto the grass. A pair of black shoes stepped on the roses and smudged the roses into separate petals. The roses were killed instantly and turned grayish.

"What the…?" Tristan yelled. But his voice died down when he saw who was behind Serenity.

"Why you do that for…" Duke was also yelling angrily at the person who stepped on the rose he gave Serenity. But when he raised his green eyes to see who did that, he became silenced at once.

Serenity didn't even have the courage to turn around. From the faces of Duke and Tristan, which were as pale as a piece of blank white paper, she could guess who was behind her. Serenity sensed a death glare shooting towards her back. She shivered and lowered her head. By now, Tristan and Duke had let go of their hands on her arms. "Um… I'm… I'm going to… t-to see what's wrong with… um… what's wrong with Mai…" Serenity stuttered. She turned around with her head still lowered, so she could ignore the person behind her and speed to the entrance into the castle.

"You're not going anywhere." A cold and temperatureless voice sounded next to her. A strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a strong shoulder. "I'll deal with you later."

Serenity recognized that cold voice. She trembled a bit because the voice sounded calm, yet it also sounded furious. Her guess was right, the person behind her was indeed Seto Kaiba. Serenity looked up into Seto's ocean color eyes, but she quickly lowered her hazel eyes when she spotted death glares that were shooting towards Duke and Tristan. _Oh no, Tristan and Duke are in deep trouble… But why would Seto threw the roses onto the ground and smashed them with his foot? Why is he so angry?_

"You two are not welcome in my castle. Go back to Yami Kingdom right now." Seto ordered Tristan and Duke to leave his castle at once. His cold eyes were still staring at them.

Tristan and Duke gulped. They wanted to protest. They wanted to stay here with Serenity. But when they looked into Kaiba's icy blue eyes and his death glares, they started to tremble in fear. They suddenly realized that Serenity was now the queen of Domino Kingdom. It seemed like they could never get their hands on her anymore. They couldn't even stand up to Kaiba's death glare. His glare was too merciless, too cruel. His glares seemed to be saying that if they don't leave right now, they will suffer under the hands of Seto Kaiba!

"… Fine, I'll leave… But can't you give me a reason why you must kick us out?" Tristan wanted to know why they were being kicked out while Joey, Mai, Yami, and Tea were able to stay with Serenity. He was given another death glare for asking that stupid question.

Duke was a little more keen. From his observation about Kaiba stepping on the roses and now holding Serenity in a possessive manner, he realized why they were being kicked out. "Shut up, Duke! Let's go, I'll tell you why we are being kicked out later…" Duke pushed Tristan towards the entrance into the castle to pack their stuff.

"Stop pushing me, Duke! Tell me why!" Tristan tried to shove off Duke's hands and demanded for an answer right now.

"You idiot! Kaiba wasn't happy about we giving Serenity roses! Remember the wedding? Duh?" Duke whispered to Tristan angrily. The two quickly ran off back into the castle.

"Looks like Duke is smarter. Hmph!" Seto smirked at the two people escaping from him. He could tell that they feared him a lot, and he enjoyed being feared by others. "Guards! Escort both Mr. Devlin and Mr. Taylor out of my castle." Seto ordered four guards to follow Duke and Tristan.

"Yes sir!" The guards went chasing after Duke and Tristan.

Now, only Seto and Serenity was left in the big garden. Serenity was still looking down at the green grass, trying to avert eye contact with Seto. She was still somewhat afraid of him. She didn't really know him that well. She had only seen him several times, and he never had a friendly expression when she saw him. He was always cold and he seemed heartless, although Serenity wasn't willing to admit that Seto might be heartless and cruel. Right now, she could sense that Seto was furious about something. _Did I do something wrong?_ Serenity was a bit confused.

Seto started dragging Serenity back into the castle without saying a word to her. Her face seemed very pale. Seto wanted to get Serenity back into her room first, then he wanted to discuss her action of taking other men's roses with her. Maybe even punish her for taking other men's roses.

"Seto..." Serenity said hesitantly. Seeing that Seto didn't get angry because she called his first name, instead of my king, my lord, or King Kaiba, she continued to talk. "Where are you going? I want to go see Joey and Mai. Mai's sick…"

"Hmph! You are going back to your own room. Forget about the mutt and her girlfriend." Seto growled angrily. He was still very angry that he found those three roses in her hands. Seto grabbed Serenity's wrist with a little more force and dragged her up the stairs back to her room. They passed through the entrance into the castle and continued to walk toward the second floor. They then walked down the long hallway passed the library and towards Serenity's room.

"But I want to see how Mai's doing!" Serenity protested. She wasn't too happy about Seto's cold face. She could make her own decisions of where to go. "Let go of me, Seto!" Serenity started to twirl her wrist to get rid of Seto's grip, but that only earned her some pain in the wrist as Seto grabbed her wrist tighter. "Ouch… that hurts, Seto…" Serenity managed to make a whisper.

The guards behind them guarding the door to the library looked at their king and queen strangely. Seto sensed the whispering of the guards. His mood was even darker now, since he didn't need the guards to be passing on rumors about the disobedience of his queen.

"Keep your mouth shut! You will do as I tell you to." Seto glared at Serenity. He loosened his grip on her wrist a bit, but he made sure that she wouldn't be able to take her wrist out of his grip and run away. "You will go back to your room and rest. If Mai's sick, there will be doctors around."

Serenity's eyes swelled up with tears. She didn't understand why Seto was being so harsh with her. Whenever she saw him, he was always so cold towards her. There was no love in his eyes, only hatred and aversion, as if the whole world owed him something or the whole world was to blame for his own problems. Serenity stop struggling anymore, she just lowered her head and stared at the floor. Seto continued to drag her back to her room.

The long silence was unbearable to Serenity. The silence was also unbearable to Seto Kaiba. He didn't mean to be so mean to Serenity, but he was angry at her. _Why was I so angry back in the garden and just now? So what if I treat her badly? I don't care… or do I?_ Seto was pondering his own mind. He was confused by his own actions. Although the answer to his weird behaviors was right in front of him, and he could have easily find out, but he refused to look into his own heart. _Forget it! I should be thinking about swords now, not her!_ Seto thought, frustrated.

Finally, they got back to Serenity's room, which was also Seto's room. He threw her back onto the bed, not gentle at all. Then, he turned and walked toward the table in the room. There were food on the table. Seto took the bowl of congee towards Serenity. This was supposed to be her breakfast, but she went out into the garden with his brother and her two secret admirers. Seto stopped at the side of the bed and frowned. Serenity was still lying on her stomach, which was the position she was thrown onto the bed. She didn't move after Seto threw her onto the bed. Seto saw that her shoulders were moving up and down. Her face was buried in the pillow. Her auburn hair had covered her face, so that Seto couldn't see her expression. However, from the movements of her shoulders, he guessed that she was crying.

Serenity was indeed crying and sobbing. She felt so lonely in this castle. Seto always treated her meanly, with his cold attitudes, icy stares, and icy tone. Was this the first time he threw her onto the bed so roughly? No, he had done this before when he first caught her hiding in the village at the beach. _Why is he doing this to me?_ Serenity sobbed.

A hand touched her shoulder lightly and gently. Serenity knew it was Seto, but she didn't move an inch. Then, the hand was removed from her shoulder. Seto walked back to the table and put down the bowl of congee. He was now feeling bad because Serenity was crying. He felt a little guilty for making her cry. He walked back to the bed and sat down. Seto didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. After all, he had never been in a situation where he needed to comfort a girl. But he was still a little angry at himself. _Why do I even care? Let her cry, who cares?_ Seto scolded himself.

_But I made her cry. I was mean to her. Therefore I should comfort her a little. Besides, don't make her angry and hate me, I still need her to save Mokuba…_ Seto thought of an excuse. He then silenced his thoughts and leaned down towards Serenity's back. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. Serenity's body stiffened a bit; she was shocked that Seto would do that. Then she struggled a bit to stay away from Seto. However, he held her tighter and she couldn't get out of his grip.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Serenity whispered.

Seto raised his right hand and slid down Serenity's smooth, silky auburn hair. Her hair was so smooth and so soft, just as he imagined. Her body was so soft and warm too. "Shh… I'm sorry for being so mean to you. But I was in a bad mood…" Seto whispered back.

"Huh?... What are you talking about?" Serenity stopped crying. She was shocked that the Seto Kaiba who seemed to be a big iceberg would even apologize to her. Her face began to turn pink because of blushing. She also stopped struggling to get away from Seto. _It feels so good to be able to rest on his chest… It feels so good to be able to depend on him… Stop Serenity, what are you thinking?_ Serenity blushed harder at her own thought. _Serenity! You don't know him that well!_ A voice scolded herself.

Meanwhile, Seto was quiet too. _What did you just say, Seto Kaiba? THE Seto Kaiba never apologize to anyone, let alone she is the mutt's sister! She is a Wheeler!_ Seto scolded himself, but he just couldn't control himself at that moment. _Now let go of her and go back to the library or the sword-making underground room!_ The voice yelled again.

Seto tried to let go of Serenity, but he couldn't. Finally, he found the strength to let go of her when he spotted the food on the table. Seto let go of Serenity, went to the table, picked up the bowl of delicious congee, and walked back to the side of the bed. He sat down on the bed and gave Serenity the bowl of congee. He then wiped out the tears on her face with his thumbs. Serenity was staring at Seto with her big hazel eyes. She had never seen Seto so gentle before.

"Now, eat the congee, it was supposed to be your breakfast. You need food to heal better." Seto said. He tried to go back to his original heartless self, but his voice was no longer as cold as he it used to be. There was some form of gentleness in his voice. Seto frowned a little at his tone. "I have other things to do. Stay here and rest. I'll send some doctors to see Mai. I'll come back later." Seto said, then he turned around and left Serenity in the room alone. _I have to get out of the room for now…_ Seto thought. He needed some time alone to calm down. He didn't want to act so strange anymore. THE Seto Kaiba was not supposed to be so gentle and kind. He was supposed to be cruel and heartless. _What the hell is wrong with me?!? I need to stay away from Serenity…_

After Seto left, Serenity stared at the bowl of congee in her hands. She smiled gently and started eating. _It is so delicious!_ Serenity thought. She felt so warm in her heart. She felt that Seto did care about her, otherwise he wouldn't comfort her and hugged her. He could have just locked her up in the room and left. He also said he will be back later to see her. Serenity blushed at the thought of the handsome Seto Kaiba. Then, she continued to eat her breakfast. She had forgotten about Joey and Mai for the moment. All she could think of was Seto and what happened in the room…

* * *

_**Okay, this is it. Seto is so sweet, isn't he? Well, you'll find out more about what's happening to Mai in the next chapter. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. Now that finals and regents are over, I'll be updating the story faster. Please, reviews are appreciated. Thanks!**_


	14. Pegasus's Story

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! (sigh…) I'm always worried that I might forget to put this on the top of the page.**_

_**Author's note: I'm so busy lately, I don't know how often I can update the story, I'm so sorry. I'll try to update as soon as possible.**_

_**Several people asked me what is 'congee'? I looked it up in the dictionary, but there is no such word (OO) However, I remember someone told me that congee means porridge, unless I'm mistaken? But someone knew what congee is, so now I'm confused myself. Anyway, when I wrote congee in the last chapter, I meant porridge. Porridge is really rice cooked with a lot of water, so the rice comes out soft and watery. If anyone had been to the Chinese restaurant, they should know what it is. Usually porridge doesn't have much taste, unless you add soy sauce or salt to it. It was said that porridge is good for the sick, because porridge is soft and plain, not too salty. So, I hope now you'll understand what 'the bowl of congee' in the last chapter is. And thank you very much, all the reviewers!**_

_**Anyway, hope you enjoy this new chapter…**_

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 14

Pegasus's Story

* * *

In a very dark night, the sky was completely the color of ebony. The moon was covered by clouds, thus the moon light was completely blocked out. The shinning stars were also blocked out by the thick dark clouds. The land seemed to be submerged completely in darkness. The castle sitting in the middle of the city also had a ghostly and eerie impression. This was Duelist Kingdom, ruled by Maximillion Pegasus.

In the dark room, a pair of brown eyes stared at the painting of a beautiful blonde girl. The room was so dark, that it was hard to make out the features of this person. Vaguely, one could see his long, silver hair, covering his shoulder. His silver hair covered his left eye completely, only showing his icy right eye. His keen brown eye was very daunting; there was no temperature and no emotion, except the strong hatred hid in the brown eye.

Maximillion Pegasus was sitting in the corner of his bedroom. There was no moon light to illuminate the room. He was completely submerged in the darkness. He had been like this for years, but he couldn't remember how long it had been. Slowly, a creepy and wicked smirk crept onto his face. He smirked evilly when he thought of the little ebony hair boy in the dark cellar, without any soul in his body. "Mha ha ha ha…" Pegasus laughed uncontrollably.

_Poor Mokuba… sitting in the dark cellar at the deepest room in my castle… Ha ha ha… It's time for the Kaiba brothers to suffer the pain a thousand times the pain I had to endure! Taking Mokuba's soul was only the first step. Breaking the swords of Seto Kaiba every time he tried to win in the battle against me in order to humiliate him is the best part of the revenge, ha ha ha… It's true that I promised to give Mokuba back to him if he wins in a one-on-one battle with me, but he will NEVER win! I had the best sword in the whole world, and he will never be able to make one better than mine! He must be very frustrated that his great swords broke every time I swung my sword at him. He must be very guilty and very ashamed to face his little brother, since he couldn't save him for two whole years. Ha ha ha… Kaiba's defeated expression on his face amuses me every time he lost._

Pegasus walked towards the painting hanging on the wall. In the painting, a beautiful young woman, with long, blonde hair, had a sweet and innocent smile on her face. Her eyes sparkled with love, the love for Pegasus. Her name was Cecelia, Pegasus's lost lover. All he ever wanted was to be able to be with Cecelia, but no, fate had to take her away from him! Fate had to separate them into two worlds: one in the world of living, and the other in the world of heaven or hell. He couldn't tell. All he knew was Cecelia was taken away from him, by the evil king Gozaburo Kaiba!

Gozaburo Kaiba was a cruel and ruthless man. He created the Domino Kingdom a long time ago, and ruled as a brutal monarch. He wanted to take over the world, to satisfy his own greed. Once, Gozaburo visited Duelist Kingdom. He wanted Pegasus to give Duelist Kingdom to him. Gozaburo wanted Duelist Kingdom to be under his control, and he wanted Pegasus to be his official, not another king, of course. However, Pegasus denied the offer of Gozaburo. Finally, Gozaburo decided to leave Duelist Kingdom alone under one condition. He'd rather make friends and establish an alliance than to add another enemy on his list. Gozaburo's only condition was that Pegasus hand Cecelia over to him. Gozaburo had seen Cecelia when he stayed in Duelist Kingdom, and he yearned for her beauty.

Pegasus was furious at the ruthless Gozaburo! He would never give Cecelia away to other men. NEVER! He loved her with all his heart, and she loved him too. There was no way he would hand her to any other man like she was an object. Therefore, he immediately refused Gozaburo's offer. He kicked Gozaburo out of his Duelist Kingdom without delay, which definitely angered the ruthless Gozaburo. Pegasus had never thought of the consequence of his actions. He would never guess that Gozaburo would kill Cecelia to punish him!

-

_(Flashback)_

_The old man with grey hair was Gozaburo Kaiba. His face had turned red at the anger and humiliation of being kicked out of Duelist Kingdom. He glared at Pegasus with hateful eyes. Gozaburo gritted his teeth and cursed at Pegasus. "You will regret treating me like this! You should have accepted my offer! I will be the one and only king in the world! I will conquer other kingdom, including yours! How dare you kick me out of your kingdom! I'll make you suffer in the fires of hell! I swear! YOU WILL SUFFER! Ha ha ha ha ha…." Gozaburo shouted; his face was all red._

_Pegasus shrugged. He didn't take Gozaburo's words seriously. He believed that he had a strong army, enough to stop Gozaburo from conquering his kingdom. However, he was extremely wrong. He only thought that Gozaburo might conquer his kingdom with army. However, Gozaburo had secretly sent men to Duelist Kingdom that very night he was kicked out. Gozaburo went secretly back into Duelist Castle himself. His plan was not to invade Duelist Kingdom, but to destroy the most important thing to Pegasus—Cecelia._

_Gozaburo felt humiliated about being denied the offer and being kicked out of a kingdom. He had always gotten what he wanted, including women. If he couldn't get something, he would rather destroy it than let it belong to another person. So, Gozaburo went back to Duelist Castle that night with several other men. They secretly approached Cecelia's room and hid in there. When Cecelia returned back to her room, they had planned to rape her then kill her, just to make Pegasus more miserable for humiliating him._

_Luckily, Pegasus had something to discuss that night with Cecelia, so he stopped by her room in the castle. When he approached her room, he heard struggling voices and objects dropping on the floor. Pegasus's eyes widened and he quickly pushed open the door. He saw several men wearing black clothing trying to hold Cecelia on the bed, and one of them covered her mouth with his hand. Gozaburo, who was also wearing black, was trying to strip Cecelia's dress off. Pegasus was furious at the scene, just when he was about to stop them, Gozaburo pulled out a sword and stabbed Cecelia in the stomach! Pegasus's eyes widened with fear and rage. He rushed towards them, but they quickly escaped from the window._

_Cecelia was lying on the bed, blood pouring out of her stomach, staining her white dress. Her white dress became red, like a red flower blossoming in the stomach area of the dress. She was frowning because of the excruciating pain in her stomach. She opened her mouth and reached her hands at Pegasus, hoping to be held in Pegasus's arms. Pegasus's eyes swelled up with tears. His heart was aching so much. He rushed over to her and pressed his hands on her stomach, trying to stop the blood from pouring out._

"_Maxi… Maximillion…" Cecelia whispered, her voice was almost gone. Her beautiful eyes were becoming watery. Tears started rolling down her pale cheeks._

"_Shh… No… Don't say anything! Save your energy!" Pegasus stopped her from speaking. "Doctors! Doctors! Get your asses in here right now!" Pegasus turned around and yelled, hoping all the best doctors in the world could fly in here immediately._

"_No… I… I must s-say it… n-now…" Cecelia said. She knew that she could never survive the night. She could feel her energy slipping away from her body really fast. She must tell Pegasus right now. "I… I l-love… y-you… Pro-promise me… t-to take c-care… of yourself…Be h-happy… I'll a-always… always be w-with you… h-here…" She pointed at Pegasus's heart. She wanted him to be happy, even after she was gone from the world. The only thing she regretted was not able to be with and support him whenever he needed her._

"_No! You're going to be fine! Don't say that, Cecelia! Don't say that!" Pegasus shook his head, not willing to believe that Cecelia might die. Tears rolled down his eyes. He had never cry before, but this time, the pain in his heart was too unbearable. He held onto her hands tightly, hoping to hold onto her soul tightly, so the devil or the angel couldn't take her away from him._

"_I… w-will always… l-love you… For-forever…" Cecelia's voice trialed off, as she slowly closed her eyes. Her hands started slipping off of Pegasus's grip. One last drop of tears fall off of her closed eyes. Pegasus realized that he couldn't grab onto her life anymore. He didn't want to admit that Cecelia left him, all alone in the world. "Cecilia" He cried out, his voice filled with pain that could make anyone who heard it felt the throbbing pain in his heart…_

_(End of Flashback)_

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Tears accumulated in Pegasus's eye. His brown eye was no longer icy when he looked at the painting of Cecelia. He could still felt the pain of losing her in his heart. He felt so guilty. He should have been more careful, especially when Gozaburo swore that he would make him miserable. But why didn't he take Gozaburo's words seriously? He was also to be blame for her death. Pegasus's thoughts began to concentrate on his plans…

From the day Cecelia died, Pegasus locked himself in his room days and night. He refused to come out of the room, and refused to accept the death of his lover. After three months, he finally decided to avenge Cecelia's death. However, just when he was prepared to make Gozaburo suffer, the news of Gozaburo's death spread all around the world. Rumors about Gozaburo's adopted son killed him were spread to Pegasus. He was furious that he couldn't avenge Cecelia's death with his won hands. He felt wasteful to be alone in the world, until a creepy idea suddenly crept into his mind: So what if Gozaburo died? As long as he had sons, with the last name Kaiba, Pegasus could still make the Kaiba family suffer. The sons would pay for their father's fault, that seemed reasonable to Pegasus.

So, he offered the new king of Domino Kingdom—Seto Kaiba—a plan to form an alliance. He told Kaiba that they could work together to destroy Yami Kingdom, even though he had no hatred toward King Yami. He had predicted that Seto Kaiba wouldn't take his offer, and he was right. He knew the man who killed the evil Gozaburo couldn't be as evil as Gozaburo, so there was no way the new king would agree to attack Yami Kingdom for no reason. He was right! Kaiba immediately refused his offer. Therefore, Pegasus captured the younger Kaiba, Mokuba. He had put on the Millennium Eye already, which he got several years ago from a merchant from Egypt. The businessman didn't know what the Millennium Eye was, but Pegasus knew, so he bought it. But he never put it on, for the excruciating pain of putting it on and the consequence of losing an eye frightened him. However, after Cecelia's death, all he knew was the Millennium Eye might be able to help him get revenge, so he put on the eye and endured to throbbing pain. So, he captured the soul of Mokuba and sent an invitation to Seto Kaiba, and Kaiba came.

Seto Kaiba saw the lifeless Mokuba sitting on the chair. Pegasus enjoyed Kaiba's painful face when he saw Mokuba sitting lifelessly. He wanted Seto Kaiba to feel the pain of losing someone you loved deeply and cared for deeply. Pegasus then offered to Kaiba again to cooperate with him and destroy Yami Kingdom, or Kaiba could challenge him to a battle. If Kaiba wins, Pegasus promised to give Mokuba's soul and Mokuba back. He knew Seto would rather fight him and attack another kingdom for no reason, and of course Pegasus was correct again. Kaiba's arrogant personality guaranteed that he would rather fight and save his little brother by himself. Pegasus's offer to Kaiba was only a bait for Kaiba to keep on losing to him. Thus, Pegasus enjoyed breaking Kaiba's sword every time he challenged him to a sword battle. The pleasure of revenge thrilled Pegasus whenever he saw Kaiba suffer. He no longer cared that Mokuba was innocent. As long as the two brothers have Kaiba as their last name, Pegasus would target them as the enemies he must get revenge from. Pegasus's judgment was clouded by his hatred for Gozaburo Kaiba and his sorrow of losing Cecelia…

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A dark shadow slipped into the dark room Pegasus resided in. He also had long white hair, but more spiky when compared to Pegasus's hair. The slender figured had a pair of sharp eyes, as if he was used to spying people at night. He spotted Pegasus standing in front of the painting of a beautiful girl. The figure smirked and approached Pegasus.

"How can I help you?" Pegasus asked, without turning around. The figure stopped for a second, then continued to accost Pegasus with a smirk on his face. "Yami Kingdom and Domino Kingdom will soon be facing each other in a war. I had created the chaos in Domino Castle this afternoon. Hmm Hmm Hmm Ha ha…." The figure laughed evilly. Pegasus turned around and went to a chair near the window. He sat down and raised his right eyebrow, "Really? So you've decided to make them fight a war, and when both kingdoms are exhausted about fighting, I can destroy Domino Kingdom and you can get the girl?" Pegasus read the mind of the mysterious person. The mysterious person didn't seem surprise at all that Pegasus could read his mind. "Looks like you read my mind. So why ask me if you already know my purpose? Do you want to work with me? All I wanted is the girl. You can destroy Domino Kingdom if you like; I have no feelings and no obligations toward that kingdom." The person stated without feelings.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Pegasus shook his head and teased the white-hair man in front of him, "How can I trust someone who is going to betray his king? But, I'll work with you. You can get the girl, after all, the girl might be as important as his little brother is to him. I can make him more miserable. However, I'm not going to destroy Domino Kingdom just yet. I wanted to see him suffer more first. When I feel like he had suffered enough, I'll destroy his kingdom." Pegasus paused for a few seconds. He looked at the man in front of him with his keen brown eye, and then he continued. "Don't try anything sly. Remember, I can read your mind with my Millennium Eye." Pegasus said while raising the silver-white hair and revealed his Millennium Eye in his left eye. Pegasus smirked and put his hair down, covering his left eye again.

"Hmph. There's no need for me to lie to you." The man seemed unhappy that Pegasus felt the need to warn him, as if he wasn't a trustworthy person. "I'll be around to create more chaos and misunderstandings between the two kingdoms." As the person finished his sentence, he turned around and quickly disappeared into the darkness. He left as quickly and as quietly as when he came. No traces of his visit could be picked up.

_Looks like my revenge is getting more interesting and more amusing as every second pass by. That man could help me make Kaiba's life more miserable… Ha ha ha ha… The pleasure of revenge! My dear Cecelia, your death is not meaningless. I will avenge your death from the Kaiba family!_

Pegasus stood up from the chair and walked back toward the painting of Cecelia. He stared at it every night, remembering the happy times they spent together, and also reminding himself to avenge her death every night, as the painful memory of losing her kept on haunting him every night…

The moon was still hiding behind the sky, as if afraid to look down at what was about to happen in the near future. The stars were also hiding behind the sky, as if the tragedy that might happen soon was too unbearable to see…

* * *

Ishizu Ishtar was standing in the shadow outside of Pegasus's hallway. She was the high priestess of Duelist Kingdom. The Millennium Necklace she wore around her neck was also obtained from the same merchantman that sold the Millennium Eye to Pegasus. She saw the person slipped into Pegasus's bedroom, then slipped out of the bedroom after about fifteen minutes. She also heard their conversations.

Her violet eyes wavered a bit when she thought of Pegasus. _Why can't you walk out of the pain of losing Cecelia? There are more people who care for you…_ Her eyes became watery, but she held back the tears. No, she cannot cry; she was the high priestess of Duelist Kingdom. Even though she disapproved of what Pegasus and that mysterious person had planned to do, she had no power to stop them. She must obey her king's order. Her only obligation was to help her king when he needed her.

"Sister. Why are you doing here?" A blonde hair and brown skin boy appeared in the hallway. He was Marik Ishtar, Ishizu's little brother. Marik was also a high priest of Duelist Kingdom, despite the fact that he was only seventeen years old. He knew his sister's heart, but it seemed like Pegasus was never going to walk out of his sorrow.

"Marik?" Ishizu turned around, shocked. She was caught by her little brother spying and eavesdropping on their king, Pegasus. She quickly went toward her little brother and pulled him away from Pegasus's bedroom. "I… I was…" She tried to make up a lie, but she was never good at such a thing.

"Ishizu, you don't need to lie to me. I'm your brother. I know how you feel about Pega-" Marik was cut off. His purple eyes stared at his sister in amazement; she had never cut him off before. "I don't know what you are talking about, Marik! Aren't you supposed to be in bed at this hour of night? It's late, Marik, go to bed." Ishizu started pushing Marik toward his room.

"Yes, but you should go to bed too, Ishizu." Marik said. Ishizu stopped and looked at her brother, then she said with a soft smile, "I will, Marik, after you go to bed first." Then, Ishizu pushed Marik into his own room and closed the door. "Good night, Marik." Ishizu said outside the door. "Night, sister." Marik replied. Then, Ishizu walked along the dark hallway. The hallway had always been dark in Duelist Kingdom ever since Cecelia died. Cecelia was Ishizu's best friend, but she died. Ishizu was also extremely sad when she heard of the death of Cecelia.

However, she wasn't like Pegasus. She met Seto Kaiba when he came here. She thought that although Kaiba may seem cold, but he wasn't cruel and evil like Gozaburo Kaiba. She never saw Seto Kaiba as an enemy. In fact, she would like to be friend with him. She also felt so sorry for the little Mokuba. He was so young and innocent. He didn't deserve to have his soul taken away. She wanted to free Mokuba, but she was afraid of Pegasus. She still remembered once, she tried to persuade Pegasus to let Mokuba go, but Pegasus was furious and almost took her soul from her! That incident made her fear Pegasus, who used to be very nice to her before the death of Cecelia. She no longer joke and chat with him, but she would always be there for him.

Ishizu sighed. Her violet eyes were full of weariness. _How long will it take him to walk out of the pain of losing Cecelia? Hatred can't resolve problems. Revenge would only sink him deeper into the darkness… I wish there is a way I can help Pegasus… But he no longer opens his heart to others... What can I do? I don't want Mokuba or Kaiba to get hurt. I don't want Yami Kingdom to get involved and perhaps people there would get hurt as well. Most important of all, I don't want Pegasus to get hurt even more…_ Ishizu walked towards the steps leading down to the cellar where Mokuba's body was kept. She went to see Mokuba everyday, even though his soul was no longer in his body.

The vision she saw from her Millennium Necklace was awful. Pegasus's revenge not only couldn't make him feel better, but a lot more people will get hurt. Not only Seto Kaiba would almost go insane, the people in Yami Kingdom and even her would all suffer because of Pegasus revenge. The seed of revenge was planted by the evil Gozaburo Kaiba, but there was no need for it anymore since Gozaburo was no longer in the world. Ishizu feared that the vision she saw would really come true. _I hope it will not come true. I'd rather the necklace was wrong for once…_

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_**Sorry, I didn't write about what happened to Mai in this chapter as I originally promised to. I thought it might be better to write this chapter first, just to show Pegasus's story. He wasn't as heartless as he seemed in the beginning of the story when he captured Mokuba's soul. Almost every person had their reasons in doing something, unless they are naturally insane.**_

_**But there are hints of what might have happen to Mai, just very vaguely. Can anyone guess who that mysterious person in Pegasus's room was? And who was 'the girl' that the mysterious person wanted? I hope it's not too confusing, but I'll clear the mystery up later.**_

_**Okay, next chapter will really be about what happen to Mai, I promise. There will be more Seto/Serenity scene in chapter 16, so please bear with me. Reviews are appreciated! Thanks!**_


	15. Long, Long Hallway

**_Disclaimer: Never in my lifetime will I be able to own Yu-Gi-Oh. Conclusion? I DON'T own Yu-Gi-Oh? Isn't that pretty obvious?_**

**_Author's Notes: Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers! You will never be able to imagine how busy I was lately… the horror! Even during this February vacation, I have tons of homework and several projects; I can barely breathe from the heavy school work I got. The sad thing is… school started today…(T.T)_**

_**One more thing, I am working on this Inuyasha fan fiction, so if anyone is a fan of Inuyasha, please feel free to read that story. Go to my info page to find it. I'm not getting too much reviews for that story, and my mood was pretty bad about that…I hope I don't have to delete that story, because I like it very much… So, reviews are appreciated!**_

_**I'll stop babbling now… Please, enjoy this new chapter!**_

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 15

Long, Long Hallway

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Serenity seemed to be sitting calmly on her bed, but she was actually very worried about Mai and Joey. This morning, close to the afternoon, Seto dragged her back into their room. He told her to stay in the room and get some rest, and he promised to come back later. However, it had been the whole day already. Serenity stood up from the soft bed, and walked to the balcony. She raised her head and saw the black night sky, filled with only a few dim stars. The moon was hiding after the gray clouds. A bad feeling suddenly stroke Serenity.

A feeling that something bad happened to Mai scared her. Serenity's hazel eyes widened in fear. _Why didn't Seto come back today? What happened to Mai? Seto promised to send doctors to her, so shouldn't he at least come back and tell me about it? What if something bad happened to Mai? The maid that ran towards Joey this morning seemed pretty frightened! And poor Joey, how is he going to deal with the problem if Mai is really sick?_ Lots of questions suddenly popped into Serenity's mind.

A feeling of guilty crept into her heart. _I'm such a bad sister… and friend… How could I forget about Joey and Mai for the whole afternoon? All I was thinking this afternoon was Seto, and I didn't even know him that well. I'm a terrible sister…_ Serenity started blaming herself. It was hard for her to belief she wasted this whole afternoon in this room, thinking about someone she didn't even know that much. She could have used the time to visit Mai!

Serenity came back into the room. Determination was firmly in her hazel eyes. "I must go find Mai. I must know how she's feeling right now. And Joey, I have to be there for him." Serenity decided. She walked towards the door and turned the door knob. To her surprise, the door wasn't locked. She assumed that Seto might lock it, since he seemed a bit paranoid too easily, and that was what he did the last time he kidnapped her. _Perhaps I'm the one being paranoid around here… I shouldn't suspect Seto would be so mean to lock me in. After all, he did seem pretty nice this morning, and I could tell he wasn't that cold-hearted._ A faint tint of pink appeared on her face at the thought of Seto Kaiba.

Serenity shook her head, trying to get rid of the image of Seto holding her this morning. She focused her attention on the long hallway. There were no guards at all, and everything was quiet. The floor was covered with red carpet, and the lights were made of crystals with the shape of diamonds. Rooms were on both side of the hallway. It was indeed very luxurious in the castle.

Serenity suddenly stopped abruptly. She looked around, and realized that every door seemed to be the same! She didn't really had the chance to explore the Domino castle yet, since she was first locked up in the room when Seto kidnapped her, then it was her wedding and some maids were leading her down the hallway, then she was injured, she just awoke yesterday, and the last time she left the room was this morning with Joey, Tristan, and Duke. _Oh no… what if I can't find my room later? And where is Mai and Joey, and the others? I didn't even know where the guest rooms were! How am I going to find them?_ Serenity thought nervously.

She hesitated a bit about searching the castle, since the castle seemed really huge. She would probably get lost in it. "Yes! I can ask a servant or a maid to take me there!" Serenity exclaimed. She looked around the hallway, but realized that there was no servant, not even one. A spooky feeling began creeping into her heart, as she was always afraid of being alone in a huge mansion, not to mention a castle, especially at night! Her fear arose from this nightmare that she used to have in the past. In the nightmare, she was being chased by something scary, but she never had the courage to turn her head and look at it. She just kept on running and running, but the long hallway seemed to be endless, and no one was there to help her… Serenity would then awake from the nightmare, cold sweat soaked her pajamas.

_Too late now… Besides, I really wanted to see Mai… I guess I'll just have to walk down the hallway, and hopefully someone will tell me how to get to Mai and Joey… _Serenity decided that would be the best choice. _I hope someone will appear soon… being all alone in this hallway at night gives me this spooky feelings… as if someone is watching me in the dark…_ Serenity was frightening herself more with those thoughts. She seemed to be on the verge on crying… After a few more steps, she started running down the hallway, hoping to bump into someone she knew, then she wouldn't be as afraid as she was now.

What Serenity didn't know was that someone _was_ watching her in the dark. A mysterious person with white spiky hair and brown eyes were observing her every move… A smirk slowly appeared on his face after seeing how scared she was. In a dark room, Bakura was watching her through the slit of the

narrowly-opened door…

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In the guest room, several doctors were still surrounding the bed. They had been here since this afternoon, sent by King Kaiba. However, they seemed nervous about what they were doing, with cold sweats on their forehead. Joey was walking back and forth near the door. Yami was sitting on the black sofa with Tea. Duke and Tristan were no longer here since they were kicked out of the castle this morning by Seto. They all had the worried expression on their face, and Joey seemed like he was about to blow up at those doctors for not able to save Mai.

When Joey followed the maid this morning to Mai's guest room, she was already lying in bed. Her lips were extremely white, and she seemed to be in pain. Her face was also colorless and pale. All Mai was doing was mumbling Joey's name again and again. Joey's heart was almost ripped from his body at the scene of Mai being so frail this morning. It was hard for him to stand the pain he felt in his heart, but he must hang in there for Mai. Even now, the pain was still there in his heart.

"Dammit! Why are the doctors still here? They're supposed to heal Mai by now!" Joey punched the wall with his right fist. He was so worried at Mai. What could have happened to her? She was still fine last night.

"Calm down, Joey. The doctors are doing their best right now." Yami stood up from the sofa and patted Joey on his shoulder. He understood how hard it was for Joey to wait while not able to help Mai. If something similar happened to Tea, he would probably gone crazy too.

"But there's nothing I can do now! All I can do is wait! But Mai needs me!" Joey said with frustration. His head was lowered, and his messy blonde hair concealed his eyes so no one could see the tears in his eyes. His fist was still on the wall.

"Joey… We are all worried about Mai. She's our friend too. You must hang in there. The first thing she wanted to see when she wakes up is probably you, Joey." Tea also stood up and walked towards Joey. "We are your friends, and we will always be here for you." Tea started her friendship speech again.

"Thanks guys, but I just couldn't help it…" Joey answered weakly. He was praying for Mai to be fine. "I betta not find out that Kaiba's behind all this! This is his castle, and who knows what impious plans that guy might come up with this time! He did captured Serenity last time, and we are still not clear on his intentions!" Joey started directing his frustration at Kaiba.

"Joey! Don't accuse others without proves!" Yami said. The last thing he wanted was to have a furious Kaiba start another fight with Joey. Those two hated each other for some reason even Yami didn't understand much. "Trust me, the last thing you want is being kick out of the castle with Mai. She needed doctors now, and Kaiba is the only person able to provide doctors at this moment." Yami analyzed the situation to Joey, hoping he wouldn't start bickering with Kaiba again.

"I know…" Joey mumbled. He finally decided to sit down on the sofa for a while. Joey lowered her head and put his head in his palms. He needed to clear up his head now. Tea walked over to Yami, and he put his arm around her shoulders. All they could do now was to wait…

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Bakura were now trailing behind the scared Serenity. He made sure to keep some distant, so that she wouldn't notice him. However, Serenity was probably too scared of being alone in the hallway anyway to even notice someone was following her.

Bakura's sharp brown eyes were staring with awe at Serenity's beauty. Her long auburn hair was billowing in the air as she ran down the hallway. Her white long dress made her looked so angelic and pure, like an angel from the heaven. Even though he couldn't see her beautiful face at this moment, he could imagine her scared, but still cute, little face. Exactly when did he begin to have this desire for her? He didn't know, and didn't care. He still remembered the day of her wedding, she looked so beautiful in that wedding dress. Perhaps it was only lust for her body, her beauty, and his own satisfaction on possessing such a beautiful girl, not really a feeling of love towards her, but Bakura's inner self was urging him to get his hand on her anyway.

Since Bakura didn't really felt any obligation to Kaiba, he decided he should just get Serenity no matter what problems he might cause for others. He only served under Kaiba before because he felt that Kaiba seemed to be the strongest King compared to Yami and Pegasus. Besides, Bakura didn't exactly like to serve under Yami for Yami was a frank and upright king. Conclusion? Bakura cannot be trusted. He would never be loyal to anyone. He did everything for the benefit of himself.

After trailing behind Serenity for quite some time, and it seemed like she was lost, since she had been going around in circle and didn't even realizes it. The castle was actually rounded, so if you don't make a turn, just keeps on walking straight, you will never get out since you're basically walking in circle. The design was made so that enemies of the king would find it hard to murder him. And of course, the design of the castle was made by Gozaburo Kaiba, and Seto just decided to keep it the same.

Bakura had decided he should probably go up to Serenity and tell her the right way by now, if he wanted to make a good impression on her, like a hero saving a lost little girl. The decision was made, and Bakura never hesitate about what he wanted to do. He called out to Serenity, "Serenity!" and then caught up to her. A smirk appeared on his face when Serenity stopped abruptly after hearing his voice.

Serenity turned around, tears were threatening to fall out of her big watery eyes. She seemed so relief after seeing Bakura, even though she was always afraid of him for some unknown reason, as if her feeling was telling her not to be too close to him. _Bakura! I'm not alone here! Oh, thank God! I'm so afraid of being lonely in such a big place…_ A weak smile appeared on her face as she watched Bakura walked up to her.

"Bakura! Thank God I saw you!" Serenity exclaimed. She ran up to Bakura to ask him about her position in the castle. "Where am I? This hallway is so long! I've been running straight for a long time, and it doesn't seem to end! And I was scared of being all alone in the hallway at night, and I didn't see anyone here-" Serenity started talking on and on, which was the symptom that she was really really afraid and was on the verge of crying. However, Bakura stopped her.

An unnoticeable smirk started growing on Bakura's face, but Serenity could only notice if she looked carefully at Bakura, which wasn't going to happen since she was totally freak out by now. _Haha. This is the reaction I want. Then, I can save her from her fear, and she would thank me, and then she would fall for me. Hahaha…_ Bakura thought. However, his real thoughts were concealed perfectly from Serenity. Instead, he raised his hand and made a silence gesture, and brought his hand to his lips, in order to calm her down, while saying, "Shh… it's all right now…" Of course, he wasn't planning on telling her about the design of the building, since he didn't see the need of explaining to her.

Serenity stopped immediately. She realized that she was acting like a little child, and started blushing like a red cherry. "Sorry…" She said while lowering her head. "Please, Bakura. Please tell me how to get to the guest rooms. I want to go see how Mai's doing. Oh, and by the way, do you know anything about what happened to Mai?" Serenity asked politely.

_Hahahaha… of course I know what happened to that blonde girl Mai. She was actually being poisoned, and the stupid doctors are now trying to figure out what kind of poison it was. This is the perfect plan to get Domino Kingdom and Yami Kingdom into a war… When Kaiba loses everything, or when Kaiba kill your brother and your friends, you will abandon him and come into by arms. See… this is the perfect plan, with the help of Pegasus of course. He is just a tool for me to get you, and he can have his revenge on Kaiba all he wants, I don't care!_ The malevolent plan was running in Bakura's mind. After reviewing his plan, he snapped back to reality very quick. "I'm afraid I don't know. But I can tell you how to get to Mai's guest room. Please excuse me that I cannot accompany you to her room, for I have other tasks that I must complete." Bakura answered very politely.

"It's fine, Bakura. I don't want you to get into trouble because of me." Serenity smiled at him. _Bakura seemed to be a really nice guy. Why would I even felt that he couldn't be trusted when I first saw him? Maybe it was because his eyes seemed so devious, but Seto's eyes were icy too… Maybe I'm being a bit paranoid lately… first I suspected that Seto is an iceberg, and he would lock me in the room, then I suspect Bakura is a dangerous person… I should really stop acting so paranoid…_ Serenity frowned at herself for being paranoid. What she didn't know was that both Seto Kaiba and Yami Bakura did had some wicked plans in their heads, her senses were actually right.

"First, walk down the hallway. One the first intersection, turn right. You'll see a stair downstairs to the first floor. Take the stair. Make another right when you got to the first floor. There, you will see a long hallway, and only the right side has doors. The door color is different. If you notice, King and queen's door is golden color. The guest rooms' doors are red color. On the second guest room, it is Mai's room, and lots of people will probably in there already worried about Mai. It's that simple. Are you clear?" Bakura gave a long direction to Serenity.

Serenity had a nervous smile on her face. _Huh-huh… Is he kidding me? Simple? That is a long and complicated direction! I hope I'm not going to get lost this time…_ Serenity tried to remember what exactly Bakura had told her. "Huh-huh… Um… Walk down the hallway, turn right, go down stairs to first floor… um… turn right again… and… um… red doors on the right side of the hallway? The second room is Mai's room?" Serenity re-stated the direction in a simpler form.

"Yes. You're very clever." Bakura said. He didn't notice that Serenity was nervously laughing and she was very unsure when she tried to memorize the direction to Mai's room. "I have to get going now. Have a nice evening, and I hope Mai is fine." _–not! I hope Mai would be ill and haha… there will sure be a big argument between Joey and Kaiba._ Bakura added silently. He saw that Serenity seemed to be less afraid of him now. He started walking away, and had a big smirk on his face. _The second step of my plan is successful: get closer to Serenity's heart. First step completed: Mai poisoned. Let's see how Joey would react to this situation. Haha._

As Serenity started walking down the hallway, mumbling the directions again and again so that she wouldn't forget, Bakura suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway. He took out a duel monster card, and mumbled something. The grin on his face only grew larger, and his eyes more wicked…

* * *

Serenity got to the intersection that Bakura was talking about, and turned right. She did see a stairs! _Ah! A stair! Bakura was right!_ Serenity ran towards the stairs, glad that she could finally go see Mai. "To the first floor, turn right, second red door on the right side… To the first floor, turn right, second red door on the right side… … …" Serenity repeated the instructions given by Bakura.

Just when she was in the middle of the stairs walking toward the first floor, a shadow suddenly covered the light. Serenity was puzzled, and raised her head to look at the floor she just came down from, and her hazel eyes widened. She started trembling, even though she wanted to start running, but she couldn't. She was too afraid. What she saw was a ghost-looking-partly-transparent monster flying towards her, at a pretty fast speed, and accompanied with the monster stuff was a spooky sound "Oooooooouuuuuuuuu" Serenity freaked out completely. Tears were forming in her eyes. She finally found the strength to run when the bony hand of that monster was about to touch her arm. Goose bumps started forming on her arms.

"Ah" Serenity managed to screamed. _I hope this is not real! I know I'm not in my nightmare! And I hope that 'ghost' is not what was chasing me in my nightmare! I never had the courage to look back in those horrible nightmares about me running down the hallway alone!_ Serenity thought. As she reached the first floor, she was just about to turn right, when she bumped into a really tall person.

"Ah!" Serenity screamed. She fell onto the ground and she just sat there, eyes closed tightly. _Please tell me I didn't just bump into that 'ghost'!_ Serenity sat there, not even moving an inch, hoping that if she remained motionless, the ghost moster would go away.

At the mean time, Seto was bumped and faltered several steps backward. He was in a terrible mood since this afternoon after being informed that Mai was poisoned by some sort of rare poison that those imbecile doctors couldn't figure out. Someone dare poison his guest in his castle? He had been standing in the hallway outside of Mai's room since the afternoon, and that was why he didn't go back to visit Serenity like he promised, but perhaps he would never go visit her since he thought of her as dangerous to be around which would cause him to act abnormal. And one more thing that made him even angrier. He wasn't deaf, and he definitely heard what Joey had said about him. _"I betta not find out that Kaiba's behind all this! This is his castle, and who knows what impious plans that guy might come up with this time! He did captured Serenity last time, and we are still not clear on his intentions!"Joey said._ Rage started accumulating in Seto's head. _Which stupid idiot bumped into me this time?_ Seto was about to blow up like a volcano.

When Seto looked down on the floor, his cerulean eyes widened in surprise. It was Serenity! She was just sitting there without moving, and her eyes were closed tightly, as if she was afraid to open her eyes. _What is she doing on the floor? And why is she here?_ Seto thought, a little confused. He walked toward her, and saw that she was trembling. "Serenity?" Seto asked.

Serenity didn't response, and didn't open her eyes. She thought that might be an illusion or trick that ghost monster thing was trying to pull on her. Seto frowned at her reaction. He walked up to her and tried to pull her up by her arms, but Serenity immediately jumped when his fingers lightly brushed off her skin. Serenity jumped up and started running the other way, still with eyes closed.

_What is she doing?_ Anger started building up in Seto's heart again. No one dare not to listen to him, let alone running away from him! "Stop, Serenity!" Seto ran up to Serenity and caught her arms, pulling her into his arms, and tightened his hold on her. "Open your eyes, Serenity, and look at me!" Seto yelled at her. _How could she run away from me? Am I that scary?_ Seto was now on the verge on exploding again.

The familiar voice finally got into Serenity's mind. _Seto?_ She slowly opened her eyes, and saw a blurry Seto holding onto her. Blurry because there were still tears in her eyes from her fear of that ghost. "Seto?" Serenity mumbled with her voice that sounded like she was about to cry.

"Of course it's me! Who do you expect?" Seto sounded harshly. "Why are you acting this way? Am I that scary to you? Hmph." Seto interrogated her furiously. He glared at Serenity's frightened eyes.

Serenity didn't answer Seto immediately. She looked around, and didn't see the ghost that was chasing her. The fear she was just feeling became stronger as she replay the image of the ghost getting closer and closer to her. "Seto" Serenity broke down crying in Seto's shoulders.

Seto became stiff for a few seconds, for he didn't expect her to react in this way. His hands were raised but stopped in the middle, hesitating about patting her back to comfort her. When Serenity buried her head in his chest, he finally put his hands on her back and patted her lightly. "… … Tell me what's wrong? Hm?" Seto asked gently. Serenity seemed like a frightened rabbit.

"A.. a ghost-looking thing was… floating in the air in the stairs when I came down here. It was chasing me, and had a scythe in its hands… it looked so scary! And… and it was coming towards me really fast!" Serenity said while she paused to sob. She hugged onto Seto tighter as if he was a floating wood on top of a river. Seto could protect her, and she knew it.

Seto's eyes narrowed. _Ghost-looking thing with a scythe in its hands? That might be a duel monster card… but how could it be real? Unless it's a real ghost. What the hell am I talking about? There is no ghost in the world!_ Seto shook his head to get rid of the ridiculous idea of real ghost in the world. It was even more ridiculous for him to thought of that. Seto decided to find out later about the truth about the ghost Serenity was saying. Perhaps she was just having a nightmare and thought it was real.

"Whatever that thing might be, it's not here anymore. I'll protect you from it. Now tell me, why are you here? You're supposed to be in our room, resting, remember?" Seto reminded her. He wasn't too happy that she ran out of the room without his permission, even though he didn't lock the door.

"I… you… you said you were…" Serenity raised her big hazel eyes and looked at Seto. After making sure that he wasn't that angry that she left the room on her own, she continued. "You said you were going to come see me this afternoon, but you didn't. And I'm really worried about Mai! So… so I… I decided-" Serenity's unfinished sentence was finished by Seto.

"-decided to wonder in the hallway to find Mai? You probably didn't even know where she is, right?" Seto could guess correctly so easily. A light shade of pink appeared on Serenity's face. She was blushing that Seto could see what she was thinking so easily. "Did you get lost? The hallway is designed in a complicated way, that you might get lost very easilty." Seto guessed she probably got lost, and started imagining this ghost thing chasing her.

"… … huh-huh… yes… I got lost for a while…" Serenity started blushing harder. She felt that Seto could see through her heart without much effort, as if she was completely transparent to his keen eyes. "But Bakura called me, and then he told me how to get here!" Serenity said cheerfully. Seto's eyes grew colder for he could easily tell that she was grateful for seeing Bakura there and grateful for his kindness of telling her how to get here. What Seto didn't realize was that this uncomfortable feeling he had in his heart when Serenity talked happily about another man was actually jealousy. Perhaps he didn't want to admit he was jealous.

"The important thing is that you are here safely. You want to see Mai, right? Let's go." Seto just wanted to end the conversation before Serenity might get into how good Bakura was to lead her out of the hallway she was lost in. Seto held onto Serenity's hand and started walking towards Mai's guest room.

Serenity followed, but with her mouth wide opened. She thought that Seto didn't want to let her see Mai, since this morning Seto was so mad when she wanted to go see Mai, and he even started dragging her back to their room harshly. "Um… Seto? Are you sure… I can go see Mai?" Serenity asked meekly. She observed Seto's face from the corner of her eyes to make sure he wasn't angry, again. He seemed to be easily irritated all the times.

"Yes, of course I'm sure!" Seto answered in a coarser voice. He glared a second at Serenity's timid face. No one ever questions him, and so she shouldn't question him too. Serenity didn't say anything anymore. They walked silently towards Mai's room…

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**_Author's note: I was planning to write more about Mai and Joey this chapter, but new ideas were just popping into my heads… So… I'm very sorry that Joey and Mai will be next chapter. This time, I promise! Please don't kill me, Joey-and-Mai fans. I won't delay that anymore, and it will definitely be in the next chapter._**

_**So now, Bakura is evil right now. Will he become good later? I haven't decided yet, so anyone is welcome to comment on what would become of Bakura. Example: Evil Bakura can just die at the end; or I like Bakura, let him become good and live; or the Yami Bakura that is controlling the nice Ryuo Bakura will be sent to the shadow realm, so Ryuo Bakura is good. Get it? Just some ideas…**_

_**Geez… it seemed like everyone had some evil plans in their minds. Seto Kaiba wanted to use Serenity and he treated her not-so-nice in the beginning. Pegasus wanted revenge because Gozaburo killed Cecelia. And now, Bakura poisoned Mai so that he might be able to get Serenity in the future… Tsk, tsk, tsk, some evil people we got here.**_

_**Okay, last but not least, please, please, please! Please give me some reviews. Actually, I'm really happy that I people review my story. Thank you all! You made my day happier! And just a reminder, for those people who are also Inuyasha fans, you can go read my story "The Obscure Truth" because it seemed like not much people are reading it, and it made me feel a bit disappointed… It was very hard to get reviews in Inuyasha section… since so many people update per day, and the story got push back really fast…**_

_**Okay, I've talked too much. Thanks again for supporting my story. I'll try to update as sson as possible. But unfortunately, school started. (T.T)**_


	16. Troubles in Domino Castle

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, and I never will._**

**_Author's note: Yay, finally got some time and energy to sit down and type. School is just so annoying. May is getting closer, and AP exams are closer too faints This means it's time to study really hard, no more tv, no more computer, no more free time (T.T) … … Okay, now here's the new chapter, enjoy!_**

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 16

Troubles in Domino Castle

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Joey Wheeler was sitting on the black sofa in Mai's guest room with his head lowered. The doctors were still surrounding Mai. Yami and Tea were standing together, both had worried faces. The room was horribly silent. The only sounds that could be heard were the doctors' heavy sighs, and their footsteps walking back and forth, very busy trying to determine the poison Mai ate.

Tea seemed a bit uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere in the room. She pulled Yami towards the door, farther away from Joey. "Yami, should we say something to Joey? He seemed really depressed… Maybe we could cheer him up somehow?" Tea whispered in a really low voice to Yami's ears, so Joey wouldn't hear her. Her blue eyes were staring into Yami's violet eyes worriedly.

Yami turned his head towards Joey, observing Joey. After a few seconds of silence, he finally answered Tea. "I think he needs some time to be alone. It would be hard to cheer him up right now after what Mai's going through. I would want to be left alone if I were in Joey's place." He also whispered with a low voice, to avoid upsetting Joey even more.

"… But we are his friends… I… he…" After looking back and forth between Joey and Mai, Tea sighed heavily. "Maybe you're right. He needs some time to think alone…" Tea whispered. Yami gave her an approving smile, and they walked back next to Joey. Yami put his hand on Joey's shoulder, giving him support.

Joey finally raised his head to look at Yami. His brown eyes were hollow and dull, his blonde hair messy. Joey seemed to be looking at Yami's eyes, but also seemed to be looking past Yami, as if he wasn't focusing on an object. Joey seemed to be lost in his own fear, the fear of losing Mai. Tea and Yami both gasped at Joey's dull eyes. _What's happening to Joey? Why are his eyes so hollow? He must hang in there for Mai's sake!_ Tea thought worriedly, with her mouth wide opened. Yami quickly grabbed Joey's shoulder and shook his body. "Joey! Snap out of it! Don't look at me with your hollow eyes! Mai needs you! You can't collapse just yet!" Yami yelled loudly.

_Thud._ Loud noises of people kneeling interrupted Yami's shouts. "Your Majesty!" All of the doctors exclaimed loudly at the same time as Seto and Serenity entered the room. Yami and Tea turned their head and focused their attention on the two people who just entered.

"Oh my God! What happened to Mai?" Serenity exclaimed after seeing the pale Mai lying lifelessly on the bed. She broke off Seto's grip on her hand and rushed toward the bed. Serenity kneeled down on the floor, observing Mai with worried face. Tears began swelling into her eyes after seeing Mai's pale lips and pale face. "She looks so peaceful, as if she's just sleeping… Why is Mai unconscious?" Serenity whispered, tears started rolling down her cheeks. "I should have come earlier… Joey!" She snapped her head back up and looked around the room to find Joey. After Joey was spotted on the sofa with his dull eyes staring at the floor, Serenity felt excruciating pain jabbing her heart. She quickly stood up and rushed towards Joey. "Joey!" She sobbed and hugged Joey tightly.

Joey didn't move, he didn't even hug his sister back. Serenity's hazel eyes became wider after realizing that Joey didn't react to her. She raised her head and looked into Joey's deep, dull, hollow brown eyes. Serenity couldn't even see her own reflection in Joey's eyes! She gasped and started crying more. "Joey! Joey! I'm Serenity! I'm your sister! Can you hear me? Joey?" After attempting to make Joey say something to her, but to no avail, she collapsed on the floor, blaming herself. "It's all my fault… If I were here this afternoon, I could have been there for Joey… He was always there for me when I needed him… Oh poor Joey…"

"That's enough Serenity!" Seto's cold voice echoed in the quiet room. He pulled Serenity up ruthlessly by her arms, annoyed at her constant crying. He was even angrier that she shook off his grip on her hand to rush towards Mai and Joey. He would have none of it. Serenity belonged to him, and she shouldn't rush off to see someone without his permission. He then turned his eyes towards the doctors, who were still kneeling on the floor, trembling in fear.

"Why are you still kneeling? Is there no duty for you to fulfill?" Seto said with icy tone. His cerulean eyes could freeze all the doctors in front of them. The doctors trembled even fiercer. They feared their king, and feared that their inability to cure Miss Valentine would either result in their deaths or their punishments. The doctors stood up and faltered towards the bed, starting to do some test on Mai again to determine the poison consumed by Mai.

Satisfied that the doctors had resumed their tasks, Seto grabbed Serenity by her wrist and walked towards the other side of the room, staying away from Yami, Joey, and Tea. The disgusted look on Seto's face was clearly visible, but Serenity didn't see his face. Her eyes were still fixed on Joey, worried about her older brother.

Tea frowned when she saw Kaiba's disgusted face, as if they were some kinds of infection that Kaiba wouldn't want to go near. _That arrogant jerk!_ Tea scolded Seto in her heart. She never liked Seto's arrogant attitude, let alone he kidnapped Serenity, forced her to marry him, despised Joey, and injured Serenity. "Hmph." Tea snorted, while rolling her blue eyes.

"Hmph. Is there something you don't like about me? Is so, you are very welcome to leave the castle, Miss Gardner." Seto said sarcastically. He stared at Tea coldly. He heard Tea's unsatisfied snort, and he definitely saw Tea rolled her eyes. Seto smirked when Tea gasped at his comments. Tea grabbed onto Yami's hand for support, and Yami could tell even though Tea disliked Kaiba, she was still afraid of him.

"Kaiba! Don't push Tea!" Yami interrupted. He would never allow anyone to intimidate Tea. Yami's violet eyes glared at Seto's cold blue eyes fearlessly. He also held onto Tea's hands tightly, promising that he would protect her no matter what happens. Seto didn't say anything, he just smirked and turned away, not even bother to talk to Yami. The room returned to silence again, and the mood turned tense once again.

Serenity stood in the corner with Seto, but she really wanted to go over and talk to Joey. She tried to shake off Seto's grip like the time she did when they entered the room. But this time, Seto grabbed onto her hand firmly. Seto applied more force on her wrist, as a warning that she should stay with him. Anger and worry spinning in Serenity's mind, pushing her to the verge of crying again. _I want to go talk to Joey… Joey needs me… Joey…_ Serenity yelled in her heart.

"King Kaiba… we finally found out what poisoned Miss Valentine…" One of the doctors reported with a trembling voice. All the other doctors also stopped examining Mai. They all bowed to Seto in trepidation, for they know they might get in trouble after telling their king the type of poison that made Mai suffered.

"Well? I'm listening." Seto answered with impatience. He also wanted to find out what had poisoned his guest in his castle. _Who would be so stupid to poison my guest in my castle? That idiot will pay with his life once I find him!_ Seto thought furiously. His reputation might be harmed because of this incident. Other people might think that the King of Domino, Seto Kaiba, poisoned a weak girl from Yami Kingdom. He would never allow others to think of him that way!

"Y-yes… my l-lord…" The doctor started stuttering. "The poison is a mixture of two poisons… One poison was extracted from... from a type of mutated poisonous anacondas found only in the… the…" The doctor paused, unable to continue because of fear. He looked at his king through the corner of his eyes, fearing that he might loose his life by merely saying the origins of the poisons.

"Is it that hard to explain to me?" Seto's face darkened because of rage. _Why is that old man stuttering and not tell me where is the stupid anaconda from?_ Seto glared at the doctor with his icy blue eyes. "Speak the truth and I shall spare your life." Seto said with a soft voice, but his voice sent shivers down the spine of everyone in the room.

The doctor's face turned colorless, and his eyes widened in fear. "Yes… the… the poison was extracted from a type of mutated poisonous anacondas found only in the Domino Kingdom in the East. The… um… and… a-and the other poison was extracted from… um… a type of rare, but deadly and equally poisonous tarantula, also… also found only in t-the Domino Kingdom…" The poor old doctor finally finished his report. Sweats had soaked his clothes already.

Seto didn't say a word. He frowned after hearing the old doctor's report, and veins started popping on his forehead. Suddenly, Seto's eyes widened. _The poison sounds familiar… I've read about it before… It's… in one of the textbooks Gozaburo forced me to read… It can't be… It can't be the same poison… Only a few people knew about it…_ Seto was unable to say anything, shocked by what he realized. He froze at the

Yami and Tea gasped, and they looked at Seto with suspicious eyes. "Wait… but doctors, I thought that tarantulas aren't poisonous to humans… why… how would the tarantula found in Domino Kingdom poisonous and deadly to human?" Yami questioned the doctor.

"Yes, King Yami, tarantulas aren't really poisonous to humans, but the special tarantulas found in Domino Kingdom were mutated thousands of years ago, and they are poisonous." The old doctor explained. He looked at Seto, afraid that the king might kill them. "I believe… that the mixture of both poisons was created by King Gozaburo Kaiba… and… other kingdoms shouldn't know about it… for the old king had kept different types of special poisons he created a secret…" The old doctor added timidly.

"Mutated poisonous anacondas found only in the Domino Kingdom in the East… … Rare, but deadly and equally poisonous tarantula, also found only in the Domino Kingdom… … Created by King Gozaburo Kaiba… … Other kingdoms don't know about the poison… …" Joey repeated what the old doctor had found out. His brown eyes turned gradually from dull and hollow to sharp and suspicious. He slowly raised his head and glared at Seto.

Serenity's mouth was wide opened. She couldn't digest all that information the old doctor had just reported. _Poisonous tarantulas and poisonous anacondas found ONLY in the Domino Kingdom? What's going on? Seto's father created this type of poison? No other kingdom knew about it? Then that means… Seto… no! It can't be Seto! Seto wouldn't do that… right?_ She looked at Seto confusedly, didn't know what to believe. After all, she didn't know him that well. She couldn't be sure that Seto would not poison Mai… Serenity heard Joey's voice, and saw that Joey was looking at Seto with a pair of hatred-filled eyes.

Joey walked slowly toward the old doctor, even though he really, really wanted to punch Kaiba in the face. However, finding out how to cure the poison in Mai's body was much more important. "Doctor, please tell me ya know how ta cure tha poison." Joey pleaded, his voice filled with worry for Mai. _Please, there must be a cure… I can't loose Mai!_ Joey thought anxiously.

"There is a cure." Seto's cold voice answered before the old doctor had a chance to answer. "Gozaburo would never keep something that might threaten himself. I know how paranoid he was. If there is no cure, he would destroy that poison, so that his enemies couldn't use the incurable poison he created to kill him." Seto returned to his calm and emotionless state. "Gozaburo kept all the poisons in a special room in the castle, and different cures for different types of poisons are stored in the same room. Doctor, you know about the room and the poisons, don't you? So why did it take you this long to figure out what had caused Valentine's illness?" Seto glared at the old doctor.

"My lord… I never thought that the poison could be one of the poisons that so few people knew about… so… I didn't suspect it…" The old doctor said with a trembled voice. He didn't even dare look at what chilling expression might be on Seto's face.

"I'll deal with your fault later. Go get the cure for the poison now." Seto ordered the old doctor. He turned to the rest of the doctors. "Go assist the old doctor." Then, Seto pulled Serenity with him towards the sofa and sat down. He ignored all the suspicious eyes staring at him. _Hmph. They all thought that I poisoned Mai? Hmph. I have no reason to do that, which will only harm my reputation and my image in the kingdom._ Seto thought angrily.

After the doctors left hurriedly to fetch the cure, the room became extremely quiet. Everyone had an uneasy expression, except Seto, who had an apathetic expression on his face. The atmosphere in the room became very tense again. Almost everyone was staring at the door, waiting for the old doctor to return.

The waiting seemed like eternity. Time seemed to be passing very slowly. Just when Joey was about to explode, the old doctor hurried back. He rushed back into the room with a pale face. Cold sweats were all over his forehead. The old doctor knelt on the floor once he got into the room. "My lord… Please forgive me… I can't… I can't find the cure… The cure wasn't in the room… perhaps someone took it… all the other medicines and cure were there… but the particular cure for Miss Valentine's poison wasn't there…" The old doctor said with a trembled voice.

"What did you just said?" Seto whispered lightly, but chillingly. His eyes darkened. "You are the one responsible for the room with all the rare poisons and cures. Am I wrong? Care to explain why the cure is missing? Hm?" If glares could kill, then the old doctor would have been executed right in the guest room. The old doctor could only tremor in trepidation, thinking that he would probably loose his life.

"Enough! Kaiba! It's all your doing isn't it?" Joey yelled out, accusing Seto of the crime. "The old doctor is responsible for the room, but who else has the key into that room? Huh? Only you, am I right, Kaiba?" Joey glared at Seto with hatred.

"Mutt, do not ever accuse me of something I did not do." Rage also began amassing in Seto's heart. However, it was true that the room was locked. The only other person who had the key besides the old doctor was Seto Kaiba himself.

Serenity stood up from the sofa. She looked at Seto with quizzical eyes. Seto glared at Serenity, angry that she dared not to believe him. "Sit down, Serenity. I did not poison Mai." Seto ordered with his cold voice. Serenity didn't sit down. "I said sit down! You dare defy my order?" Seto shouted angrily. He looked slowly at everyone in the room. Everyone, including Yami, Tea, Joey, and Serenity, all looked at him suspiciously.

"Leave ma sista alone, Kaiba!" Joey yelled. He pulled Serenity behind him to protect her from Kaiba. Joey and Seto glared at each other furiously. Yami and Tea worried that those two might start fighting with real swords again, like they did on the wedding.

"Joey, you should calm down. We need to find out what the cure is so we can save Mai." Yami analyzed the situation calmly. "Even though the cure in Domino castle was gone, but we can go find the cure, right Joey?" Yami persuaded Joey.

Joey rushed toward the old doctor again. He picked the doctor up from his collar. "Tell me! What material is needed for the cure? Where can I find the material? Tell me now!" Joey yelled, eager to find the cure to save Mai.

The old doctor looked at Joey with sorry eyes. "The cure for this poison is extracted from a type of rare plant found only in the North. The plant grew in the tall and cold mountain. On the plant, there will be a pure white flower. The white flower had the ability to cure almost every types of poison in the world, including this poison King Gozaburo Kaiba invented. But the plant only grows in the North, not in Domino Kingdom. The plant is also very rare, very hard to find. Not to mention the Northern land is under King Pegasus's rule. Only people with permission would be allowed to enter Duelist Kingdom… I'm afraid we couldn't help Miss Valentine…"

"Is that true, Seto?" Serenity asked, afraid that there was nothing they can do to help Mai.

"Yes. That's true. Gozaburo himself got the cure when he went to Duelist Kingdom to visit Pegasus. He even recorded in the book he forced me to read that he stole the rare flower because he knew it could cure lots of poisons. It was after he created the type of poison consumed by Mai that he realized the white flower powder could also cure this poison." Seto confirmed what the old doctor had said.

"That's terrible… Oh, Mai… What can we do?" Tea started crying. Mai was her best friend, she didn't want Mai to die… Tea buried her head in Yami's chest, mourning about the tragic fact that Mai might die because of the poison.

Joey tightened his hands. He turned and walked towards the bed. He scooped Mai up into his arms and started walking towards the door. Joey looked down at Mai's pale face. His heart was throbbing profusely. He wished the person being poisoned and the person going through the pain caused by the poison would be him, not Mai. But there was nothing he could do, except try his best to find the cure to save Mai. _Hang in there Mai, I would neva let anything happen to you. I'll save ya. I'll protect ya._ Joey stopped beside Serenity. "I'm bringing Mai with me. I will find tha rare flower!" Joey announced.

"We'll go with you!" Yami and Tea both exclaimed. They would always be there for their friends. Of course they wanted to go with Joey and support him. Yami held onto Tea's hand and walked towards the door, ready to leave Domino Castle and go to the North and find that rare flower.

"Let's go sis. Let's go together." Joey said to Serenity. He looked at Serenity with soft brown eyes, transmitting his message that he needed her support in order to endure the pain and suffer he was going through. Serenity stood there, hesitating about whether she should or shouldn't go.

_Joey needed my support. I also wanted to help Mai. She has been like a big sister to me ever since I got back to Yami Kingdom… But will Seto allow me to go? He… did he really poisoned Mai? If he did, I will never forgive him…_ Serenity tried to decide what to do.

"Come with me sis. What are ya hesitating about?" Joey asked softly. He didn't know that Serenity started to have feelings for Seto Kaiba. He would never suspect that his little sister would like his biggest enemy, the most arrogant man in the world—Seto Kaiba.

"Sorry to disappoint you, mutt. Serenity isn't going anywhere." Seto said icily. He suddenly grabbed onto Serenity's wrist and pulled her towards him. "She belongs here. She belongs with me." Seto declared. He then turned to Serenity, and said with a voice that could intimidate everyone in the world. "Don't you dare leave with your mutt brother. Do you understand?"

"Stop it, Seto! Let me go! You can't tell me what to do!" Serenity started struggling to get away from Seto. "I want to help Mai! I want to support my brother! And don't call him a mutt! Let me go!" However, her struggling was futile. Seto only grabbed onto her wrist with more force.

"Wrong answer, my dear Serenity!" Seto said furiously. "The mutt can do whatever he wants, but you must listen to me!" With that, Seto started dragging Serenity out of the guest room. Veins were popping on his forehead, and his blue eyes turned fiery because of the rage.

Joey put Mai down on the sofa and rushed toward Seto and Serenity. "Oh no you don't! Let ma sista go, you jerk!" Joey jumped onto Seto's back and started attacking him. Seto was surprised that Joey would attack him. He pushed Serenity away as a reflex, so that the fighting wouldn't hurt her. Serenity didn't know Seto would push her away; she faltered and fell on the floor. Seto and Joey were now hitting and punching each other on the floor.

"Mutt!" Seto yelled angrily. He punched Joey on his right cheek.

"Arrogant jerk!" Joey exclaimed angrily, giving Seto a punch in the stomach.

"Good-for-nothing dog!" Seto yelled again. A punch sent Joey flying a few feet away from him.

Yami and Tea watched with terror. They couldn't believe those two were punching and hitting each other right in the castle! Not to mention insulting each other in front of the doctor and them. "Do something, Yami! Stop them! Joey is going to get hurt!" Tea yelled with horror. She didn't know what to do.

"Stop it!" Serenity yelled. She stood up and ran toward Joey. Tears started dripping off of her beautiful eyes. She helped Joey get back on his feet. She stared at Seto with angry eyes. "Stop hitting my brother!" She was angry that Seto always tried to control her, but at the same time, she also didn't want Seto and Joey to fight. She didn't want any of them to get hurt.

Joey wiped the blood on his lips off. He grabbed Serenity's hand tightly. Then, he turned towards Yami. "Yami, help me carry Mai for now." With that, Joey turned around and pulled Serenity with him towards the exit of the castle. "I'm leaving with Mai and ma sista. No one is gonna stop me!" Joey announced loudly.

"Serenity stays here. No one is going to take her away!" Seto said furiously. With a swift move, he rushed toward Joey and grabbed onto Serenity's other wrist. "You are staying here with me, Serenity." Seto ordered coldly. He glared at Joey and Serenity with a death glare.

"I… I'm…" Serenity bit her lower lips. The situation was getting more and more chaotic in the castle. "I'm going with my brother!" She finally announced. She tried to shake off Seto's grip on her wrist, but he wouldn't let go.

"You heard Serenity! Now let her go!" Joey exclaimed. He also started pulling Serenity towards the door. Seto pulled Serenity towards him. Neither of them realized Serenity's lips started turning paler and paler. All they could see was the hatred for one another at that moment. Serenity's face turned almost colorless, and cold sweat soaked her dress.

"Stop it, you two!" Tea exclaimed. "Stop pulling Serenity! She just woke up yesterday from the coma! Her wound did not heal completely yet!" Tea joined Seto and Joey, trying to break off both of their grips on Serenity, but a woman's strength was no match for two men's strength. "Oh no! You guys pulled the muscle around her wound! Let her go now!" Tea shrieked after she saw the blood on Serenity's dress.

Seto and Joey finally snapped out of their minds. Both of them let go of Serenity at once, and she fell onto the floor. Serenity was frowning because of the pain caused by the wound. Joey and Seto were both too shocked to move. They didn't even notice Serenity was in pain!

Seto became calmer first. He quickly held Serenity into his arms, observing her expressions on the face. Her eyes were shut tightly, and her face was close to colorless. He glared at Joey, and then he scooped Serenity into his arms. Seto stood up, carried Serenity, and rushed back to their room. "Guards! I don't want to see the mutt and his pathetic friends in my castle starting from now!" Seto's voice ordered his guards, and then he disappeared in the long hallway.

"Serenity… I'm so sorry…" Joey mumbled with regret. He was too careless. How could he forget that Serenity's wound wasn't completely healed yet? He sat on the floor with his head lowered, unable to move.

Yami walked up to him and put his hand on Joey's shoulder. "Joey, I'm sure Serenity would be all right. I'm sure Kaiba would take care of her. We need to get going. We are the only people who can save Mai right now. We have to find that rare flower as soon as possible!" Yami explained. He knew how Joey must been feeling right now, but saving Mai was more important at the moment.

"You're right. Let's get going." Joey went and picked Mai up. He started walking towards the exit of the castle with his head lowered. Yami and Tea followed right behind Joey. Everything seemed out of control…

In one of the room, Bakura was observing the event with a large smirk on his face. _Everything is going according to plan. Serenity and Kaiba almost break up, hahahaha. Joey's reaction was just as I've planned. Now Kaiba would hate Joey and Yami even more for trying to take Serenity away, and for accusing him of poisoning Mai. Hahaha… No one would suspect I'm the one who stole the poison and the cure. Serenity will be mine soon!_ Bakura's smirk grew more wicked. He opened the door, and walked slowly down the hallway. No one noticed him…

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**_Author's note: Okay, I'm done with this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please review :)_**

_**Just a note about the poison I wrote about: I made it up, lol. But I did check in the dictionary and found that tarantula is usually not poisonous to human, so I made the tarantula in this story to be mutated species.**_


	17. A Lonely Place To Be In

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh._**

**_Author's note: It took me so many days to finish this chapter… I just couldn't sit down and type like I used to… maybe it's the hw and tests… or could it be writer's block? Oh well, hope you enjoy this chapter!_**

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 17

A Lonely Place To Be In

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It was late at night. The sun would be rising in a couple of hours. The sky was dark, and the stars were dim. The doctors had just left the large room that belonged to the king. The busy scene of doctors moving around the room with bandages, medicines, and water was gone, and the room returned to a very quiet state. Almost no sound could be heard, except the calm and rhythmic breathing sound coming from the large bed in the middle of the room. 

The owner of a pair of sapphire eyes was staring at the young girl with porcelain-like skin and long auburn hair. She was lying on the soft bed, covered by warm sheets. The color of her lips had returned a bit more reddish, as compared to the ghastly colorless lips when he rushed in the room with her earlier tonight. Her cheeks also appeared healthier and rosier. She looked just like a princess, sleeping peacefully and having a sweet dream.

The young man with sapphire eyes was indeed Seto Kaiba, the King of Domino Castle. He was partly responsible for aggravating the wound on her back, which was also pierced by his very own hand with a sword, but that was an accident. Seto was now trying to sort out his muddled thoughts; so much had happened, which he had never predicted when he planned out his scheme just several weeks ago.

Seto was perplexed by the situation he was in right now, and his own emotions. He was sitting next to the bed, watching Serenity with complicated gaze. There were so many different emotions in his eyes and that some emotions contradicted his principles and plans. Upset, he combed his somewhat messy brown hair, which usually was combed perfectly neat, with his hand.

Seto put his hand on Serenity's cheek and lightly caressed her smooth cheek. His hand wondered towards her forehead on its own, smoothing out her frowned eye brows. Unconsciously, he didn't want to see Serenity frown, because frowning usually mean worry, sad, or physical pain. Guilt couldn't stop tormenting his heart.

_Is it my fault again she's lying on the bed lifelessly? It is my fault. If only I notice her wound isn't completely healed yet, this might not have happened._ Seto rarely admits that he was wrong, but this time, he couldn't attribute his own fault to other people. _But if the mutt didn't try to take her away, then she wouldn't get hurt again. I was wrong, but it was all thanks to that mutt._ Seto gritted his teeth at the thought of Joey Wheeler. As always, he still blamed Joey for whatever bad things that happened.

Seto was now feeling guilty for aggravating Serenity's wound. He was angry at himself for losing control when Serenity tried to leave him with her brother. He was even angrier about Joey trying to butt in to take Serenity away. But the thing that pissed him off the most was why was he so concern about Serenity, and why he lost control of himself when Serenity tried to leave.

_Why did I behave like an uneducated idiot and fought in front of so many people with the mutt when she tried to leave? I can't believe I even rolled on the ground during the fought with the mutt! That's so barbaric and apish! Why do I even care what she wants to do? I don't even remember why I brought her here in the first place… … _Seto frowned. His hand was rested on Serenity's hands right now, trying to give her some support unconsciously.

Suddenly, Seto's sapphire eyes widened after he remembered something. Then, he narrowed his eyes and took his hands away from Serenity's hands. His eyes were no longer showing any emotions. All there was left in his eyes, which seemed like a deep ocean unable to see through, was coldness and his own culpability for forgetting such an important mission. _Hmph… How could I have forgotten about the most important thing I must do? How could I? I only sought after her so that I could use her knowledge to wield a powerful sword in order to save my little brother Mokuba. Nothing more. Just to save Mokuba…_

Seto's mood suddenly became depressed at the thought of his sweet little brother Mokuba. The boy with long, ebony hair and violet eyes. The boy that was always so cheerful. The only person who could bring happiness to him, and the only person who could chase away all the tiredness in him. That little boy was no longer with him…

_  
(Flashback)_

_Mokuba ran into the room, with his cheerful smile. He ran towards Seto, with a Chess game in his hands. He stopped near the desk, and observed what's on top of the desk with his big violet eyes._

_Seto was sitting at the desk reading and studying something that looked so complicated even a normal adult probably wouldn't understand. Piles of textbooks and papers were accumulated on the desk. Those were all the information Seto must learn by this weekend._

"_Come on Seto, stop reading those boring textbooks!" Mokuba said as he pulled Seto's arm, trying to get Seto out of the study room._

"_I can't… I have to finish reading all these books by the end of this week…" Seto mumbled, didn't look at up Mokuba._

"_Come on! You need to relax, Seto!" Mokuba said cheerfully. He understood how much pressure Seto must be in. "Let's just play one Chess game, please, big brother!" Mokuba pleaded._

_Seto raised his eyes from the book and looked at Mokuba. He loved his little brother dearly, and didn't want to see a disappointed face on Mokuba. Besides, he really needs to relax before his mind tangled up because of reading and trying to understand all those history, mathematics, and sciences in the books Gozaburo forced him to read._

"_All right, Mokuba. I'll play one chess game with you. But remember, just one." Seto said with a true smile._

"_Great! But if I win, you have to play another game with me, okay, Seto?" Mokuba said innocently, with an innocent smile._

"… _Mokuba!" Seto finally realized Mokuba tried to trick him to play more than one game with him. Seto didn't have a chance to say anything, because Mokuba pulled his arm and ran out the study room into their bedroom._

_That night, they played Chess games, again and again. Not that Mokuba won, but Seto also kind of wanted to forget about all those burdensome studying. Of course, Seto would let Mokuba win sometimes, just to see him smile more. Seto forgot all about the studying that night. It was Mokuba who always brought happiness to Seto. That was one of the happiest moments in his life ever since Gozaburo threw all those textbooks in his face, which according to Gozaburo, was necessary to prepare Seto to become the next king._

_That night, before they fall asleep, Mokuba asked him one unforgettable question. Seto gave Mokuba a promise as an answer._

"_Big brother?" Mokuba asked before falling asleep._

"_Yes, Mokuba?" Seto asked, he was almost asleep already._

"_If I'm in danger, you'll protect me, right?" Mokuba asked._

"_Of course I will! You're my only brother! No matter what happened, I'll always protect you, I promised." Seto promised firmly, with a smile on his face. "But why did you ask?"_

"_Oh, nothing… I was just wondering…" Mokuba mumbled. Then, they both fall asleep. The chess board and the game pieces were still scattered on the floor. That year, Seto was only thirteen years old, and Mokuba was five. It was so many years ago…_

_(End of flashback)_

Traces of tears could slightly be seen in Seto's eyes. He wasn't able to keep his promise to Mokuba. Mokuba's soul was now imprisoned by Pegasus. He tried everything he could to save his little brother, but he failed again and again. The guilt of not keeping the promise to his little brother was tormenting him everyday. _I can't wait anymore! I need that sword! I need to save Mokuba right now! I haven't seen him for two years… I missed him so much… Sorry, Mokuba, I couldn't keep my promise to you… … …_

Seto gathered up his strength, and forced the tears in his eyes back. He stood up, glanced one more time at Serenity, then he walked out of the room without turning his head back, not even once. Seto told himself that he shouldn't feel anything for her. He shouldn't be so close to her. It would only ended up hurting her and myself, Seto thought as he walked out of the room…

A dark figure hid in one of the room in the hallway, and observed the king walking down the hallway. A smirk on his impious face…

* * *

The sun had risen. The warm sunlight penetrated through the window, elucidated the room. The room was really quiet. The sound of birds chirping drifted into the room, adding to the peaceful feelings. The sunlight shone gently on Serenity's face. Her eye lashes began to move slightly. Slowly, she opened up her eyes. The sunlight was in her eyes, blurring her vision. Serenity frowned, and raised her hand to block out the sunlight. 

"Where… am I? … … What… happened?" Serenity mumbled, a bit confused. Her head felt like muddle. Serenity closed her eyes, and immediately, images of Mai lying on the bed with a pale face, Joey's hollow eyes, Seto's angry expression, and lastly, Joey and Seto pulling her arms in opposite directions flashed in her mind. Serenity remembered what happened last night.

"Joey and Seto had a fight again…" Serenity mumbled disappointedly and sighed lightly. She tried to get up, but instantly pulled her muscle around the wound on her back. She squinted and bit her bottom lips as a bit of pain stroke her back. She stopped moving, and lay quietly on the bed. _I think I re-injured my back last night… when Seto and Joey were pulling me in opposite directions… aww! That's awful…_ Serenity thought, and sighed again.

Serenity lay on the bed, waiting for someone to come into the room. A maid would be nice, to help her get up and prepare breakfast for her. Not that she's that dependent, but her back kind of hurt right now if she tries to move around. Seto would be… not that good… his expression was daunting last night when she tried to leave with Joey… No, she wouldn't want to see Seto right now… what would she say to him after she tried to leave?

"If Joey is still here… did he leave already? Probably… he needs to help Mai…" Serenity mumbled, hoping that Joey would still be here to protect her. She sighed the third time in the morning. She closed her eyes for some rest, not that she needed it right now, but she was bored. Couldn't move around, stuck on the bed, was definitely not a pleasure experience…

"Tsk, tsk…" A voice echoed suddenly in the quiet room. Serenity jumped, and quickly looked toward the source of the voice. She stared into a pair of unpredictable, cunning brown eyes. "What's with all the sighing?" The voice continued teasing Serenity.

"Bakura! … What are you doing here? … How... How long have you been there?" Serenity gasped. Her heart almost stops because of the shock. She didn't notice there was someone else in the room! _How'd he… where did he come from?_ Serenity thought surprisingly. Even though she was no longer afraid of Bakura like she used to when she first arrived at Domino Castle, but she still felt a bit uncomfortable, especially when he appeared out of no where suddenly.

"I was here all along… What? You mean to tell me you didn't notice me, huh?" Bakura teased with a smirk on his face. His brown eyes concealed his wicked thoughts and evil plans, unable for others to detect. He was standing by the door, leaning on his back on the wall behind him.

"I… I… I didn't see you…" Serenity stuttered. She inhaled slowly and than exhaled, trying to calm down from the shock. She turned her head back and stared at the white ceiling above her, eluded from the intense stares Bakura was giving her. "Why are you here?" Serenity asked again.

"I came because…" Bakura paused purposely. "… because I thought you might want to know something about Kaiba…" He wanted to observe Serenity's expression, so he purposely elongated Seto's name.

Serenity turned to face Bakura immediately when she heard Seto's name. "What about Seto?" She blurted out, eager to find out what happened to her king. Serenity covered her mouths with her hands, her eyes widened, and light pink tint appeared on her face when she realized she blurted out Seto's name. _Why am I so concern about what happened to Seto? He's the one fighting with Joey. He's a possible suspect of poisoning Mai… … … No, he wouldn't do something like that… he's not that evil… … What am I saying? I don't even know him that well… Why am I defending him? Unless I love-… it can't be…_ Serenity became confused. She wasn't too willing to admit that she had feelings for Seto, even though in her heart, she knew what the answer was.

Meanwhile, Bakura's eyes turned darker and darker. He saw how concern she was about Kaiba. He saw how she blurted out his name eagerly. He saw traces of struggling in Serenity's mind. She's probably confused about her own feelings for Kaiba. His conclusion was, she probably already started to fall for Kaiba. _I'll get what I want. I'll do anything to get her. Hmph._ An evil smirk appeared on his face when he thought of how to break Serenity and Kaiba apart. A small and cunning plan formed in his mind.

"Kaiba seemed really pissed off about something when he came out of the room. I passed by, and heard him murmured something about 'that damned mutt' and 'detested Wheeler family'…" Bakura said, of course he made all those words up. The only truth in what he just declared was that Seto looked pissed when he walked out of the room. "I thought you should know, he seemed to despise your family, probably including you, I'm afraid." Bakura put on a sorry face, pretending to pity her.

"Detested… Wheeler… family…" Serenity mumbled. Her heart started to ache severely. It became a bit hard for her to breathe. "Seto… despises… me…?" Serenity mumbled, her mind had gone blank already. The pain in her hear wasn't going away. She clutched tightly to the bed sheets, winkling the soft sheets.

"Well, I have other things to attend to. I must go now. Hope you'll feel better." Bakura said. He turned around and walked out of the room with a large wicked smirk. It seemed like Serenity believed him, and she seemed so shocked and hurt. _Hmph… trusting others so easily. Such an innocent and naïve girl. Hahaha…_

After Bakura left the room, everything returned to the serene state, except her heart. Violent waves were beating at her heart, causing more pains. _Why would Seto despises me? Just because I'm Joey's little sister? Just because I am a member of the Wheeler family?… … … It's not… fair… I am a person too… Why do I have to be classified based on my family? That's wrong… How could he be so cruel? _Tears started swelling up in her hazel eyes. One tear drop from eye eyes slid down her cheeks. The agonizing pain numbed her feelings for a while.

_I… can't bear… the… pain…_ Serenity rolled to her side and shrunk her body into an infant position. She grabbed the extra pillow on the bed and hugged it tightly. Streams of tears started sliding down to the pillow, wetting the pillow. _I… feel pain… because… I do… I do love him…_ Serenity admitted her feelings at that moment. She realized she felt so hurt because she cares about what Seto think of her, and that she loves him. There was no option of denial anymore…

_I hope, Seto will come visit me… I hope Bakura heard it wrong… Seto wouldn't be that mean… that heartless… No… If he comes, then Bakura is wrong… Seto doesn't loathe me, he doesn't…_ Serenity refused to believe what Bakura told her. She must have hope, she repeated again and again. Serenity slowly closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep. Traces of tears still remained on her face…

* * *

In the hall, outside of the golden door, all the maids were anxiously looking. They were all frowning, and some even seemed like they were on the verge of crying. Whatever that happened definitely wasn't good. 

Bakura walked towards the location where the maids had gathered. He saw the trays those maids carried with them were left untouched. The king had demanded that the queen should eat, otherwise, he'll punish all the maids who failed to convince her to eat. _Hmph. Looks like they all failed. Serenity is still not eating… Perhaps I said it too harshly to her the other day…_ Bakura had an emotionless face, he never lets anyone know what he really was planning in his mind.

The maids bowed at him when he approached the tightly shut door. Some maids started to tremble, afraid that Bakura was here to punish them for failing to get the queen to eat. Bakura stared at the maids, one by one. Then, he walked up to one of the maids and took the tray from her. The tray contained a healthy salad made more tomatoes, cabbages, onions, green peppers, red peppers, apples, kiwis, and some source.

"The Queen is still not eating, huh?" Bakura stated as a question, but said it in a-matter-of-fact way. He didn't wait for the maids' reply and knocked the door. There was no reply from the room, absolutely silence. He didn't bother knocking the second time, opened the door, and went in.

He scanned the room. The white curtains were all shut. There was no trace of Serenity. The bed sheets were perfectly folded, as if no one had slept there last night. There was no sound in the room, except his footsteps and the chirping of the birds coming from outside. Bakura put the tray down, walked towards to bed, and found Serenity sitting on the floor on the opposite side of the bed.

Serenity bent her knees, put her hands on top of her knees, and rested her head on her hands. Her hazel eyes were half closed, as if she's looking down at the floor. There was no expression on her pale face. There were no traces of tears on her cheeks. Her auburn hair was loosely dangled behind her back. She looked like a beautiful, but lifeless doll. She had been like this for days, not moving, not eating, not drinking, not talking, and stopped crying.

She seemed like she didn't realize that someone entered the room. Her mind was blank like a piece of white paper. Her heart was numb from the pain she had felt all these nights. Her hope that Seto did care about her died off. He didn't come. He knew she was wounded, since he was partly responsible for worsening her wound, but he didn't come to see her. If he's not heartless, he would have come by and at least see if she's recovering. _So… Seto does indeed… despise… me… because… I'm a Wheeler too…_ Serenity thought. No more tears remain for her to shed. She had waited everyday since Bakura last came by and told her that Seto abhorred all the Wheelers, including her.

"What are you doing?" Bakura asked Serenity, frowning. He disliked the way she looked. She looked so lifeless, like every bits of energy had been drained out of her body. There was no reply from her. Her eyes didn't even move. She either didn't hear him, or she was ignoring him.

"It's been four days. Stop acting stupidly." Bakura said coldly. "Get up and eat, now." But Serenity didn't move at all. She was still sitting on the floor.

"The King ordered those maids outside to convince you to eat. Otherwise, they'll all be punished." Bakura continued saying. This statement made Serenity frowned a little bit, she didn't want others to be punished because of her. But she still didn't look at Bakura.

"Hey… I'm here to help you…" Bakura softened his tone a bit. He wouldn't like her to die, not just yet. He didn't even get her yet, how could he let her die so soon? No way! "I brought you some healthy salad. At least eat something. Your brother will be worried if he sees you like this."

Serenity opened her eyes fully. She didn't want to let Joey worry about her. Bakura reached out his hand, offering to help Serenity up from the floor. But Serenity didn't move. Just when Bakura was about to say something else—

_Bang!_ The door was kicked open. Seto Kaiba walked in angrily. All the maids could be seen shivering outside the door. Seto's eyes were a dark blue color, indicating that he was fuming, and he was gritting his teeth. He scanned the room, and only saw Bakura standing near the bed. He glared at Bakura, as if questioning why he was in the room. "Close the damn door!" He yelled. One of the maids quickly closed the door, afraid of the king's bad temper.

Seto walked over to Bakura, and finally saw that Serenity was sitting on the floor on the other side of the bed. Seto's eyes widened, shocked at what he saw. Serenity looked so frail, as if even the wind could blow her away from him. She's not looking up, as if she didn't know another person had entered the room. The rage started to accumulate in Seto's heart.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, sitting on the floor? Why don't you eat?" Seto questioned Serenity like he was interrogating a criminal. She didn't budge, but her eyes seemed to be focusing. The excruciating pain returned to her heart. She finally realized that both Seto and Bakura were in the room.

"Get up!" Seto ordered, and started grabbing her arms to pull her up. He forced her to sit back onto the bed, and saw the salad from the corner of his keen eyes. Seto walked over to the table and grabbed the tray. He went back to the bed, and handed her the salad, but she didn't take it. Seto gritted his teeth again. He felt a tiny bit of guilt when he saw how frail she looked. The guilt arose from his own choices of not checking to see how she's doing these four days. He had been pretty much ignoring her for four days, because he couldn't face his own feelings. He was running away, in his heart he knew it, but he would never admit it.

"Do you… despise me… because I'm a Wheeler?" Serenity managed to speak. She wasn't looking at Seto, afraid to see how heartless and cruel he might be. Seto gasped at that question. He didn't expect Serenity to ask him that. In fact, he despised every member of the Wheeler family, only because he disliked Joey Wheeler. He even thought he would look down at Serenity, but he didn't. For some reason, she was kind of special. But Seto refused to answer that question.

"Remember, I'm your king. You should never question me." Seto said coldly. He disliked others questioning him, including her.

"Then… do you… love me?" Serenity asked meekly. She closed her eyes and clutched the sheets she was sitting on.

"Hmph. Love? I have no need for love." Seto said it like the mere thought of love disgusted him. "Love would only weaken you. To be strong, one needs no love."

Serenity frowned, the pain had struck her once more. "Then… why… made me the Queen of Domino Kingdom?" Serenity asked with a shivering voice. This time, she looked Seto in the eyes, hoping to find a trace of warmth in his eyes. But, nothing. His eyes were beautiful, they were the color of sapphire, but it was icy, temperatureless.

"Because, you have something I want." Seto said, still trying to be cold. But his heart started to shake. Her stares scared him. Her hazel eyes seemed full of sadness and loneliness._ Did I… did I cause the pain, the sadness, and the loneliness in… her?_ Seto thought a bit afraid that he had hurt her somehow.

"I… see…" Serenity said, lowering her eyes to the floor. So he wanted something from me… Our marriage has no love… She was very disappointed.

"You have to eat. That is, if you don't want me to punish those maids outside for failing to get you to eat. You are not that cruel, are you, me dear Serenity?" Seto asked softly, but it sent shiver down Serenity's spine. Seto sure knew how to make Serenity listen to his order. "Do not ever defy my orders, my dear."

Seto handed Serenity the tray, and left without looking back at her, not even once. Again, Seto denied what he really felt about her. He ignored the apprehension in his heart—the fear of losing her. He tried not to admit any concern for anyone, because only this way, he wouldn't get hurt. He loved his brother dearly, and he lost his brother for two years already, the pain in his heart was unbearable. He wouldn't want to experience that pain again, ever. So, the only way was not to love or care for anyone else besides himself.

Tears dripped off Serenity's face. She always thought the castle was a beautiful place. She always thought being a princess would be happy. But the perfect image of a beautiful castle was shattered. The castle she was now in was such a lonely place, so different from Yami's castle, where her brother and friends would always be there for her. Domino Castle was such a lonesome place…

_

* * *

**Hee hee… Kaiba returned to his old self, cold and heartless… Sorry about that… I just have to make him turn cold again to let the rest of the story unravel. You'll soon find out what I mean by the "Spirit" of the sword, since spirit has several meanings…** _

**_Remember, please review, thanks!_**


	18. Convinced

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh…_**

**_Author's note: Oops… sorry that I didn't update for months… I was busy, scratch that, I was extremely busy! But I'm back now… Thanks for the reviews!_**

_**Okay, here's the new chapter. Enjoy!**_

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* * *

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 18

Convinced

* * *

_Bang!_ The door was shut closed. Seto Kaiba left without turning back. The room was quiet, too quiet.

…_Then… do you… love me?_

… … _**Hmph. Love? I have no need for love.**_

… … … _Then… why… made me the Queen of Domino Kingdom?_

… … … … _**Because, you have something I want.**_

… … … … … _I… see…_

The conversation between Seto and Serenity still seemed to be echoing in the air. Serenity was still sitting on the floor, with her eyes tightly closed. Her hand was clutching securely onto the bed sheet, even until her knuckles turned white. Seto's answers were like a sharp blade, piercing her heart into pieces. The air seemed to be thinning too, making her hard to breath. The pain in her chest was… unbearable…

When did she start to like Seto Kaiba? Could it be when he saved her from falling off the swing in the garden? Could it be when he actually seemed to care for her when he tried to calm her down after making her cry? Or could it be when he promised to protect her in the hallway after she was chased by some ghost-like monster? Even though he was usually pretty cruel and mean to her, even wounded her, she still couldn't help falling in love with him. He hardly shows her his real feelings, but she could sense he actually has a heart. He rarely acts gently, but she had seen it. But why? Why did he have to admit that he doesn't love her? Why couldn't he lie to her? She would believe anything he tells her! Anything!

_Is it too much to ask for his love? Is it my fault too that I was born into the Wheeler family? No it wasn't my fault! And I'm proud to be a Wheeler, proud to be Joey's little sister! _Serenity yelled in her heart painfully. Her heart was bleeding. What else could she do now?

Bakura had been observing her after Seto left. He could see that she was hurt by Kaiba's words badly. A smirk started to spread out on his face. It seemed like Kaiba just gave him a chance to take Serenity away.

He walked toward Serenity, but stopped in front of her. She didn't raise her eyes to look at him. After several minutes of silence, Bakura kneeled down in front of her. The evil smirk was no longer on his face.

"What are you planning to do now?" Bakura asked, with devious looks in his eyes. "See, I didn't lie to you."

"What can I do?" Serenity mumbled. Her eyes wondered to the plate of salad Seto handed her.

"You should eat." Bakura reminded her. If he were to convince her to leave with him, then she needed to eat so she would have some strength.

"But… I don't have appetite…" She stared at the salad blankly. She didn't feel like eating. She just wanted to sit there and do nothing, think nothing. Suddenly, Seto's voice started to echo in her mind again… _"You have to eat. That is, if you don't want me to punish those maids outside for failing to get you to eat. You are not that cruel, are you, me dear Serenity?"_

Serenity gasped. She didn't want the innocent maids to be punished because she refused to eat. Slowly, she picked up the plate, and started to eat. She chewed for a long time, then swallowed it. The salad seemed so bitter… Was it her, or was the salad really bitter, like her mood?

Bakura was now sitting on the bed, waiting for her to finish eating. Then, he would convince her to run away from the castle, with him. The wicked smirk appeared on his face again. Perhaps he should start persuading her to leave Domino Kingdom now, he couldn't wait to get his plan in action.

"Serenity, what are you planning to do now?" He repeated his question earlier. "Do you still want to stay here? There's nothing here for you. Kaiba is only using you, don't you see? He hates your last name, Wheeler."

"Stop it! I don't want to hear!" Serenity suddenly cried out. She dropped the plate of salad and covered her ears with her hands, while shaking her head. Those words, they hurt.

"Fine. I won't say anymore." Bakura was surprised by her. She was always so gentle and quiet, he had never seen her like this. He just stared at her with a bizarre look on his face.

The room was quiet once again. After a couple of minutes, Serenity seemed to have calmed down. She stood up and walked towards the balcony. She looked towards the West, where Yami Kingdom was located. That's where her brother and her friends were.

Bakura followed her out. His mind was turning again, searching for ideas of what to say to her in order to convince her to run away. It seemed like she couldn't bear to listen to more bad things about Kaiba. Perhaps he could use her brother and friends to persuade her.

"You miss your brother, don't you?" Bakura asked, his keen eyes observing every expression on her face.

"Of course…" She whispered.

"Don't you want to go see them?" Bakura continued. "Remember before your wounds were worsened, you tried to leave with your brother."

"I…" Serenity remembered. Seto tried to stop her from leaving, that was how her wounds got worsened. Why did he try to stop her? _Oh right, because I have something he wanted._ Serenity smiled bitterly at the thought.

"Remember Mai was poisoned? Joey and the others left to find a cure. I wonder… how they are doing now?" An evil smirk appeared again, but Bakura hid it within seconds.

Serenity's eyes widened. _That's right, Mai was poisoned! Joey… did you find the cure…?_ Serenity frowned, she was so worried about Mai and Joey! _Where are they now?_ She wondered.

"Isn't going to help Joey and Mai out much more important than staying here being despised by Kaiba?" Bakura asked again, seeing that Serenity seemed moved by what he said.

"Being despised by Seto…" Serenity mumbled. Her heart just ached when Bakura reminded her what she didn't want to remember.

"If you want to go find your brother, I can help you." Bakura walked in front of her and looked seriously into her hazel eyes.

"Go find Joey… and Mai…" Serenity repeated. Her heart started to stir. Yes, she should go find them. Seto didn't love her, so what? It's not the end of the world, she still has Joey and her friends to support her. But still… why did her heart still hurt at the realization that Seto despised her?

"So, do you or do you not want to leave Domino Kingdom and help your brother out?" Bakura asked, a bit impatient.

"I…" Serenity couldn't decide yet. She closed her eyes and thought for a while. Bakura was tapping his feet impatiently, waiting for Serenity to make a decision.

Finally, she opened her eyes, determination shone brightly in her hazel eyes. She nodded lightly. "Sure… I want to go find Joey. You're right, Bakura… There's nothing here I want anymore… nothing…" She said, her voice dying down at the end of her sentence. _… Nothing except Seto… but… he's someone I could never reach… He doesn't need me… in fact… he doesn't need anyone…_ Serenity thought hopelessly. Instead of being hurt here, she decided to run away.

"Great!" Bakura exclaimed, but Serenity was lost in her own thoughts, and didn't see his evil face. _Seems like my plan is working, muhahaha…_ Bakura thought happily. "Here's the plan. Listen carefully. Are you listening?" Annoyed that she wasn't listening to him.

"Oh… yea I'm listening…" Serenity blushed. It was so embarrassing being caught not paying attention but instead wasting time daydreaming…

"At twelve o'clock tonight, I will be waiting for you in the front gate. The guards will be drugged, no one will notice you're leaving. Still remember how to get to the front gate?" Bakura asked.

"Yea…" Serenity replied. She still remembered what Bakura told her about the construction of this castle. She shouldn't walk straight, instead she had to make turns to get out of this weird castle.

"Good. Remember, twelve o'clock. Kaiba should probably be sleeping by then. And don't let anyone see you." Bakura ordered.

"… Why can't you… bring me to the front gate? Why do I have to go alone?" Serenity was a bit afraid that someone might catch her sneaking out of the castle. If Bakura pick her up, no one would see them, since he seemed to be a lot more incisive than her. She would feel safer if he's with her… She just disliked sneaking around, especially alone, that's all.

"Of course I can't go with you! What if I-" Bakura almost blurted out what he had in mind. He stopped himself quickly. _What if I get caught? I'm not stupid! If I get caught, who knows what Kaiba would do to me? Hmph. But if he catches you, that's too bad, he will only punish you. I can always come up with another plan to make you mine, muhahaha…_ Another evil thought. "-uh… what I mean is, what if I'm clumsy and get you in trouble? Besides, I need to prepare and watch over the carriage in the front gate." Bakura explained.

"… Right…" Serenity was suspicious of him. He was so angry, and then he seemed to try to cover up his real thought… But no time to ponder on that. She needed to be prepared to escape from here.

"Remember, twelve o'clock. Don't get caught." Bakura repeated. Then, after Serenity nodded her head, he left her alone on the balcony. He really shouldn't stay too long in the room. Kaiba seemed angry that he was here when Kaiba entered the room. He wouldn't want Kaiba to be suspicious of him at this moment.

Serenity was alone again in the room. She went into the bathroom and washed her face. She seemed so pale… The sky was still bright, she still had hours before her time to depart. Serenity went back to the bed, she needed some sleep to replenish her energy. Hopefully, she would be able to leave in one piece… without making any troubles…

* * *

Seto had locked himself up in the library. His thoughts were all muddled, all thanks to Serenity Wheeler. Her questions just reminded him why she was even here, in his castle. His answers, might be a little too cruel, but they were true. He only wanted her here so she could help him save Mokuba. Nothing more. Her knowledge, that's what he wanted from her.

How long had it been since he last saw Mokuba? Two years and several months, he even lost count of how many months it was. He had no more patience left… He must go talk to Serenity tonight. He would ask for her help, perhaps intimidate her a bit might work. He knew she had a soft heart, she would agree to help him out after hearing his heart-wrenching story about Mokuba.

_Knock! Knock!_ Someone interrupted Seto's thoughts.

"Come in!" Seto growled, obviously in a bad mood. He sat himself down behind the desk, where he looks through all the paperwork about his kingdom.

A guard came in with a piece of paper on his hand. Seto raised an eye-brow up. Who would send a what seemed like a letter to him? The last he checked, he didn't have any close friends that would write a cozy letter to him.

"What is it?" Seto asked with a decorous voice.

"My lord, this letter was left in the front gate. It is addressed to you, my lord." The young guard answered.

"Leave it on my desk." Seto replied, not even looking up. His blue eyes were glued to a document about possible spies in the castle.

"Yes, my lord." The young guard left the letter on the desk and left.

Seto finally finished reading that document. According to it, there was at least one spy in the castle, otherwise who could possibly poison his 'guest'—Mai Valentine? He had one person in mind… the white hair priest of his… _he doesn't seem so loyal to me, in fact, not loyal at all._ He would have to keep an eye on Bakura.

Seto picked up the letter. He had no idea who sent this letter to him… He slowly opened up the letter, blue eyes scanning through it…

_ Dear Kaiba-boy,_

_ How have you been lately? Haven't heard from you for weeks. Have you given up?  
__ Miss your little brother Mokuba, don't you?  
__ Couldn't find a better sword than mine, now could you? Perhaps you should consider joining with your brother, in the shadow realm!  
__ Now, now, don't get angry with me, Kaiba-boy. It's your father's fault! You should be __angry with him!  
__ Oh well… come visit me soon. Remember to bring a better sword next time!_

_ From,  
__ Pegasus_

Seto gripped the letter really hard. He then crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it into the garbage can. What was the meaning of this letter? He was extremely angry right now. Did Pegasus write that just to tease him? And why did Pegasus said it was Gozaburo's fault? What did that old man had to do with Mokuba's soul being taken by that snake? Seto could still see Pegasus's wicked smirk when he wrote that letter.

Veins were showing on Seto's forehead, he was fuming and about to erupt. That stupid letter just ruined his mood for the day. He was already in a bad mood, confused and all, before that letter arrived. Now, he just felt like killing someone… Well, he wouldn't actually kill innocent people, he wasn't _that_ cruel and unreasonable.

What exactly was he thinking before he saw that letter? Something about talking to Serenity tonight… Whatever it was, he had no mood of actually doing it now after he saw that letter. He could do that some other time, like tomorrow…

Seto walked over to the corner, opened up a glass closet, and picked out a bottle of wine. He always put a closet of good wine in the library. He would need them when he gets a headache from reading all those lengthy documents and making arduous decisions concerning his kingdom and his people.

He started drinking the tasty wine. Alcohol always helps ease his bad mood and make him forget all the problems… The only bad thing would be the headache he would get the next morning, but who cares? At least alcohol can help alleviate his pain and annoyance for now…

* * *

Meanwhile, a carriage had arrived at the front gate of Duelist Kingdom. The guards on the high defensive wall surrounding the Kingdom wouldn't open the gate to let the carriage in. Only people with permission from King Pegasus could go into the Kingdom.

In the carriage, Mai was lying on the soft sheets that covered the floor of the carriage. Her face was still pretty pale. Joey was sitting beside Mai, holding tightly onto her cold hand.

"Hang in there, Mai…" Joey said gently to Mai, as if she was just sleeping, not unconscious. "We're at the front gate of Duelist Kingdom. Remember, the evil Pegasus's Kingdom in the North. But don't worry, I'll protect you from him."

"Joey…" Tea said worriedly. Hopefully, Joey wouldn't lose his mind before they find the cure for Mai. That white flower up in the cold mountains, only found in Duelist Kingdom… Why did it have to be Duelist Kingdom? It would be much easier to save Mai if that flower grows at some other places, like their own Kingdom…

"We are going to get to the mountains and find that white flower for you, Mai. I promise you, I'll save you, no matter how hard it might be." Joey continued talking to Mai with determination. He would never let Mai die of poison! He would suffer forever if he fail to save Mai…

"Joey, the guards wouldn't open the gate. We need a plan to get into Duelist Kingdom." Yami got into the carriage from the driver's seat in front of the carriage.

"That snake Pegasus." Tea said. Why couldn't they just go in? Why did it have to be so hard to get into Duelist Kingdom?

"Couldn't ya do something? You are the king of Yami Kingdom… Ya should be able to get us in there." Joey asked.

"Joey's right, Yami… Pegasus might let us in if he knows you wanted to visit him…" Tea suggested.

"But I don't want to visit him, Tea." Yami frowned. Pegasus was always so deceitful and cunning, he didn't like him at all. Pegasus's smirks might be even eviler than Kaiba's infamous smirk.

"Well… just pretend you do. That way we can get into the Kingdom much faster. Mai can't wait, Yami!" Tea convinced. Of course none of them wanted to actually see Pegasus. But that might be the only way to get in, otherwise why would Pegasus allow them to go in?

"Please…" Joey pleaded. He couldn't bear seeing Mai's pale face any longer. He wanted to get in and get to the mountain right now!

"All right. I'll go tell the guards." Yami exited the carriage and got off the carriage. He walked towards the tightly shut front gate.

The guards on the wall took out their arrows and aimed at Yami and the carriage. They were told to shoot whoever that tried to force themselves into the Kingdom, actually there was no way for people to force themselves into the castle since the huge gate was so high and so strong.

After seeing Yami didn't try to force his way into the castle, one guard was sent down to see why a carriage was in front of the gate. "What do you want?" The guard asked, annoyed that he had to get down in front of the gate instead of resting up on the wall.

"I'm King Yami, from Yami Kingdom. I'm here to see King Pegasus." Yami said concisely.

"Uh… I see… I'll go report it to the King…" The guard was stunned that he actually could talk to King Yami. He quickly got back into the gate and on his way to report King Yami's visit to Pegasus.

After another half an hour of waiting, the front gate was opened. The carriage was allowed to go in without any hindrance. However, there were ten guards sent to escort the carriage into Duelist Castle. One of the guards was ordered to drive the carriage, so Yami get to go into the carriage. There was no way they could go to the mountains in Duelist Kingdom without first visiting Pegasus.

"I thought we coulda just said we wanted to see Pegasus, then turn to the mountains on the way instead of actually visiting him!" Joey complaint.

"You wish, Joey. Pegasus is heavily paranoid. I don't think he would let anyone claimed he or she wanted to see him as an excuse to enter his kingdom. Of course he would send people to escort us." Yami pointed out.

"His right, Joey… a couple of hours won't hurt… I hope…" Tea said. She looked at Mai worriedly. Hopefully the visit wouldn't take too long. _But would Pegasus actually agree to let us go and find that rare flower on the mountain? Would he hinder us for some evil reason?_ Tea thought worriedly.

"Tea, don't worry. We'll think of something." Yami patted Tea's hand, giving her some support. He understood what she was worried about. Hopefully, Pegasus wouldn't try to stop them from getting the white flower, the only cure to save Mai.

Tea smiled slightly to Yami. She patted Joey's shoulder too, giving him her support. She would always be there for them, after all, they were her friends.

"Thanks, guys." Joey said. He was glad that his friends could be with him. Together, they would be able to save Mai. He knew they would! "Just hang in there, Mai. You can count on us!"

**_

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_**

**_Author's note_:** **_Chapter 18 finished. How is it? It might be a little boring, but hopefully not… All the things that happened in the chapter will lead up to things that will happen in the next and future chapters… so it is necessary…_**

**_A little hint… there will be a lot more conversation + incidents happening between Kaiba and Serenity! Isn't that exciting? But I don't know when I will be able to update again, hopefully soon…_**


	19. The Peace Before the Thunderstorm

**Disclaimer:** Let's see… Nope, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Don't!

**Author's note:** I decided not to make the disclaimer and a/n both bold and italic. I think normal straight looking words look better. Yea, and I didn't expect myself to actually start this chapter so fast...

C.A.M.E.O said that my story is way too depressing… Sigh… sorry about that… Personally, I like angst story, _but_ with a happy ending. I would cry when I read something sad, but the happy ending would make me feel so happy… So… well… just to let you people know, that it might get even more depressing… Not this chapter though! However, it will, and I insist, WILL have a happy ending… it's just going to give me a headache trying to fix all the problems and depressing things I created in earlier chapters though… laugh nervously

Anyway, here's chapter 19. Enjoy! And lots of thanks to all those who reviewed!

* * *

**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 19

The Peace Before the Thunderstorm

* * *

It was dead quiet. The sky was dark ever since the sun had set. A carriage was hiding behind a tree outside of the castle. Two large brown horses were in front of the carriage, eating grass. They would be pulling the carriage later on, so why not eat while they can?

The moon was covered by the clouds; the light that illuminates the earth at night was deprived by the dark clouds. It was hard for anyone to notice the carriage thanks to the clouds. No one would see the carriage anyway, since the guards were all sleeping like a baby on the ground, all because of Bakura, who had obviously drugged them.

Bakura's white hair was a bit too noticeable even without the moon light. He was wearing a dark brown cloak, but he didn't put on the cap on the cloak. Annoyance and anger could clearly be seen on his face, with his frowned eye brows.

"Where is she?" Bakura pouted. He had been waiting for half an hour already! _Didn't I tell her to be here by twelve o'clock exactly? I even reminded her several times! Don't tell me she was caught by some useless guard, maid, or even Kaiba himself!_ Bakura thought angrily.

He started to pace back and forth. He had the urge to rush into the castle and drag Serenity out here, no matter if she wanted to go with him or not. He refused to let his prey escape when he had almost grabbed it.

"If she got caught, she better not say I'm helping her out!" Bakura uttered to himself. "Damn, I forgot to instruct her not to say anything about me _if_ she gets caught."

Bakura kicked one of the rocks on the grass, out of irritation. He didn't feel like going into the castle to find Serenity then coming back out with her. What if someone saw him when he went in and out with her? Then he would be in big trouble. No way would he risk his own life for her.

"Fine, half an hour more. If she still doesn't come, that's it for tonight!" Bakura announced to himself angrily. "I'll make her leave tomorrow night or something. I'm done waiting for her after one hour!"

With that, Bakura plopped down on the grass in front of the carriage. His patience was getting thinner and thinner with each passing seconds. Not to mention he didn't have much patience to begin with…

* * *

Serenity turned onto her side on the bed. She was half awake, but still felt tired. She felt like she had been sleeping for hours, but she still felt so weary for some reason. She couldn't find the energy to get up from the bed.

Suddenly, she remembered there was something she had to do! But exactly what? She didn't remember… Slowly replayed what happened these few days, Serenity abruptly jumped out of the bed. She had forgotten that Bakura wanted to help her leave the castle to find Joey! She had to meet him in the front gate of the castle by twelve!

"Oh no! I probably over-slept! What time is it?" Serenity blinked several times, trying to see more clearly. She noticed the sky was already very dark… She turned towards the direction of the newly invented grandfather clock. "Oh no! I'm late! It's already twelve thirty! What can I do?" Serenity almost panicked. She was never late in her entire life, well her fifteen years on earth anyway.

Serenity quickly brushed her hair so they don't look as messy as when she just woke up. Then, she checked that her jade necklace was still on her neck. That was the only possessions she had with her in this castle. All the other clothes and stuff were given to her by Seto Kaiba. She didn't have any time to bring anything with her when he dragged her away from Lost Village in front of Joey.

After she checked everything, she quickly rushed out of the door. When she got into the hallway, she quietly tip-toed forward. She wouldn't want to wake anyone up. Being caught not only would be embarrassing, but it would also get her to be punished, probably.

Serenity continued to walk forward quietly. There were many rooms on one side of the hallway. The other side had large windows. She could see the castle's garden from the hallway, but it was too dark outside. There was no moonlight to illuminate the beautiful garden for her. She had only been there once… but she remembered it was magnificently gorgeous with all types of pretty flowers.

Walking down the hallway alone was still quite freakish. She was still afraid the monster she saw lasting, the one with a scythe in his hand, might appear again to chase her. Last time, thanks to Seto, that monster had disappeared right after she bumped into him. And… he promised to protect her… But, that was just a lie…

Even though she had been here only for weeks, and for a large portion of the time she was in bed because of her wound, there were still many memories here in Domino Castle. Memories that were good, bad, happy, sad, … all kinds of memories. No matter what types of memories, she would not forget, even though she didn't want to remember those hurtful words Seto said to her… But still, for some reason, she didn't want to forget him, even if his words hurt.

When Serenity was about to turn left in order to get to the stairs that lead to first floor, she heard the noises of something shattering. _It sounds like… glass being shattered… that noise… just like my heart when it was shattered by Seto…_ Serenity thought bitterly.

She walked towards the noise without really realizing what she was doing. Unconsciously, she wanted to see who shattered the glass, perhaps she could help that person. But help what? Help that person clean up the shattered glasses? She didn't know. But some kind of forces seemed to be pulling her over to where the sound came from.

When Serenity realized where she was, she saw a large door. She remembered she saw it before, when Seto pulled her with him to their room after he kicked Tristan and Duke out of the castle that morning. If she remembered correctly, this place was the library, where Seto look through the documents regarding Domino Kingdom. Who could be in there? Seto? Or some thief or spy?

There were no guards around at this time of the night. Serenity's hands trembled as she reached out for the door. No matter who's in there, hopefully not a thief, but she also didn't feel like seeing Seto at this moment, she just hoped that person wouldn't hurt her.

Slowly, Serenity pushed open the door. The room was so dark… The light wasn't ignited. More glasses were shattered when Serenity was in the doorway. She jumped, not expecting more glasses to be shattered so suddenly.

"Um… Who's… in there?" Serenity asked suspiciously and timidly. She slowly moved into the room. Then, she fumbled for the light on the table.

Suddenly, 'something' grabbed her wrist. Serenity flinched, not expecting anyone or anything to touch her at all. "Ah! Who… Wh-what are you? Let go of me!" She shrieked with all her might.

"What are you doing here?" A coarse and irritated voice asked her, while tightening the grip on her wrist.

"No! Let go of me!" Serenity was still frightened. She didn't hear what that person asked her. She continued struggling, trying to get her wrist loose from the grasp.

"Don't make me repeat it again. What are you doing here?" The voice sounded angrier. The person tightened his grip on her more.

"Ouch… it hurts… let go of me!" Serenity shrieked again while twirling her arms to get away from the tight grip on her wrist.

"Answer me!" The voice yelled at her.

Serenity started to tremble… she's scared, mostly because she couldn't see in the dark room, but also because the voice sounded so furious… plus the owner of that sound was so close to her, she could even feel his or her body heat. "I… I heard… shattering n-noises in… here… S-so I…" Serenity stuttered.

"Hmph." The person grunted and let go of her. Foot steps announced that person walked away, at least farther from her.

Serenity quickly circled to the other side of the desk. She felt much safer that a barrier—the desk—blocked the 'creature' from her. "Who… or what… are y-you?"

More glasses were being shattered. "Who do you think?" The voice asked sarcastically.

After carefully listening to the voice, Serenity gasped. "Se-Seto?" She asked surprised. But that voice was a bit too coarse than Seto's usual voice… What happened?

"Hmph." Seto grunted again. From his voice, he seemed to be a distant away from her.

Serenity fumbled for the lamp again. When she reached it, she quickly turned on the fire. The room was lightened up by the lamp. Serenity's eyes widened at what she saw…

The library was huge. There were cabinets of books all lined up neatly. The desk she was hiding behind was made of fine wood, and there were piles of documents on top of the desk. There were also a cabinet of glass bottles, probably wines, in one of the corner. But what flabbergasted her the most was the broken pieces of glasses on the floor and some empty bottles rolling around on the ground. How many bottles did Seto broke? And how many bottles of wine did he drink?

Serenity's eyes wondered towards Seto, who was sitting on the ground. She had never seen him like this before! He was always so arrogant, a bit too self-confident, dignified, having strong self-control, and even she had to admit, he was always neat and… handsome… But what she saw was a kind-of-drunk Seto, with messy brown hair, almost unreadable expression that seemed to be a mixture of guilt, anger, misery, and pain… His usually astute sapphire eyes were no longer astute, but dull.

Serenity's eyes swelled up with tears. She didn't want to see him like this… it hurts to see him so painful… "What… happened, Seto?" She asked, hoping to ease his pain.

Seto didn't answer her. He picked up another empty bottle and threw it towards the wall. _Clang!_ Instantly, the glass bottle shattered into pieces. The noises and the sight of a self-abandoned Seto stung her heart. She wanted to help him. All the bad things he said to her were forgotten; they were not as important as helping him.

Serenity walked slowly towards Seto, while trying to avoid the shattered glasses everywhere. He didn't react to her moving closer to him; either he didn't care or he didn't notice her. His head was lowered, and his hair concealed his eyes. Serenity kneeled in front of Seto to get a better look at his expression. She put her hands on his shoulder and slightly shook him, nervously.

"Seto? What happened? Please… tell me what happened… I want to… help… if I can…" Serenity tried to find out why Seto was so upset.

"Hmph. What do you want?" Seto grumbled. "Are you here to tease me as well?"

"… of course not…" Serenity said. "Why? Who… teased you?"

"None of your business!" Seto yelled. He pushed Serenity's hands away from his shoulders, with forces a bit too strong. Serenity gasped and lost her balance. She was pushed a few inches away from Seto and fell onto the floor in a sitting position. Her hands were supporting her on the floor behind her back. Seto was loosing a little control of himself now, because of all the alcohol he consumed already. However, he was still pretty conscious; he wasn't really drunk yet.

"Ou-" Serenity winced. She held in the whole "ouch" to not worry Seto, if he would even care for her at all. A piece of the glass pinched into her finger when her hand tried to support her when she fell to the ground. It was probably bleeding a little, but she didn't dare look.

"Get out! I don't need anyone bothering me right now!" Seto yelled at her again. He sure was in a really, really bad temper.

"I just want to… help, Seto…" Serenity said with a thin layer of tears in her hazel eyes. Tears were threatening to drop down her cheeks, from the pain in her finger and from the pain in her heart. Did he loathed her that much to not let her help him?

"Help? What can you do to help?" He snorted. "Oh I know. You can cry. But does it help?" He continued mockingly with a smirk.

"I'm serious!" Serenity yelled. She looked at him sincerely, but a bit angry that he mocked her. Besides, she wasn't really a cry baby who only knows how to cry. She had many other skills too, like cooking, cleaning, sewing, writing, reading, playing instruments, painting, … you name it.

Seto was silent. He looked at Serenity with mixed emotions. He was struggling internally about whether or not to tell her. He longed for someone to talk to, to listen to his problems. Mokuba was the only one who actually knew Seto's feelings and supported him, but he's gone… And Seto couldn't open his heart to anyone except Mokuba, ever since their childhood. Did he finally find someone else to talk to, someone who truly cared for him? But he shouldn't feel this way… Getting close to someone would only hurt you at the end if something bad happens to that person… like Mokuba…

"I may not be much help… but I really, really don't want to see you like this anymore, Seto!" Serenity said out loud. She leaped into Seto's arms and hugged him tightly, despite the chance of being pushed away by him. "I'll be by your side, no matter what happens… no matter how much you dislike me…" Serenity mumbled, but he heard it. All she wanted to do was giving him her support…

Seto's eyes widened. _She's… willing to support me… even after what I said to her today…?_ He hesitated for a while, but still lifted his hands and held her tightly. Her body was so warm, so soft, and so soothing. All the problems and that mocking letter Pegasus sent him seemed to fly away when she was with him.

"… Thank you…" Seto whispered into her ear. He buried his face into her neck. The pleasant fragrance from her hair soothed his dreadful mood. A warm feeling began to spread out in his heart. There were some feelings he kept on dismissing ever since he met her, but those feelings were threatening to be known and admit any second.

A smile appeared on Serenity's beautiful face. Tears finally trickled down her cheeks. Seto said thank you to her! He hugged her back! Her broken heart was suddenly being repaired bits by bits back into a heart that could beat normally again, even the pain in her finger had abated. All those awful words he said flew away out the window. She loved Seto, she wanted to be there for him if he encountered some problems, and… she could forget that he said he didn't love her, as long as he let her stay and help him out… Sad? Maybe… but that was her only wish at the moment.

Joey had several times claimed that she had a heart that's too soft, which was not a good thing according to Joey and all her friends. They said it would be good to have a kind heart, but not a too-soft heart. Joey also kept on telling her not to feel sorry for evil guys or arrogant jerks because they deserved to suffer, and because if she helped them out, they would only bite her back in the end. But it seemed like Joey was right, she couldn't help but feel sorry for and wanted to help Seto out.

After several minutes of just holding onto each other, Serenity broke the silence… "Do you want to… talk about what happened?" She asked with a soft voice.

Seto broke the embrace but didn't say anything. _Should I tell her now? Either way, I still need her to help me make a strong sword… She will know sooner or later…_ Seto pondered. But when his eyes spotted the tears on her face, what he was about to tell her soared into the night sky, no longer on his mind.

"Why did you… cry?" He asked, while wiping her tears with his fingers.

"I… I'm just glad that you didn't… push me away this time." She whispered. Seto's deep cerulean eyes were drawing her in, she couldn't take her eyes off his ocean-like orbs.

Looking at her innocent eyes that revealed her fear of being hurt again by him, his heart suddenly ached. Not thinking much like his usual self, he lowered his head and captured her lips. His kiss wasn't rough like what people might think, but of a gentle and caring nature. At the same time, he held her into his arms again… She didn't resist.

Almost suffocating each other, they paused to grasp some air. Serenity was blushing, which made her cheeks rosy. _She's so cute._ Seto thought with a smile, not a smirk.

"I need your help, Serenity…" He whispered into her right ear. His breath tickled her.

"Wh-what is it?" Her heart was beating so fast that she was afraid she might even faint.

"I'll tell you tomorrow…" He answered, voice lower than usual. "Will you help me?"

"Of course I will… I promise." Serenity answered. Seto's breath near her neck was distracting her to the point that she no longer can think straight.

"Remember your promise, Serenity. Don't lie to me, and don't betray me." His voice suddenly turned into a warning.

"I won't… why not tell me now?" Serenity asked, confused.

Seto let go of her. His eyes were now of a deeper than usual blue, with some mysterious fire burning in them. "Because I have something else I want to do first… tonight… my Queen…" Seto said in a profound tone as his hand caressed her cheeks and then her lips.

Serenity shivered slightly, but it wasn't because she's cold. "What do you have to do first?"

"This." Seto stood up suddenly and scooped into his arms. He started walking towards one of the closet filled with books.

Serenity gasped at his sudden action. Out of fear of falling down, she quickly held onto Seto's neck with both of her arms. But because of the suddenness in action, she carelessly hurt her already bleeding finger. Serenity winced.

"What's wrong?" Seto asked, curious.

"… Nothing…" Serenity said. "What are you doing? …Put me down…" Serenity pleaded while blushing even more.

"Don't lie to me. Why did you wince?" Seto asked intensely. No body lies to the great Seto Kaiba!

"… I… pierced my finger with a piece of broken glass… when I fell to the ground… you pushed me earlier…" Serenity said meekly, hoping he wouldn't get mad at her for being so clumsy.

Seto didn't say anything, again. He didn't even look at her finger. He reached the closet in the corner. Seto pushed one book on the second shelf backward. The closet suddenly slid open, revealing a door that leads into a bedroom. This was a secret bedroom that only Seto knew about. All those nights that he didn't go back to his bedroom where Serenity slept, he slept here.

"I'll fix your finger up in a minute." He finally said.

"… It's okay, I'll go get the bandage myself… Can you please put me down now?" Serenity asked. She was about to panic since she didn't know what that mysterious fire in Seto's deep blue eyes means… She sensed danger, and by instinct, she believed the best thing to do would be to flee…

"Have you forgotten, Seren, that you are mine since our wedding?" He whispered into her ear again. "I want you… tonight. Of course, after I fix up your finger." He said determinedly. Perhaps it was the alcohol, otherwise he should be avoiding her like what he did for days already. If he was truly wide awake, without the alcohol playing tricks in his head, he would realize what he was doing. He was getting a bit too close to Serenity, and that means if anything happens to her, he would be suffering like when he lost Mokuba.

Serenity shivered again at his words. She didn't expect him to say that… Her cheeks were dyed into a pinkish color due to blushing. She was afraid too… she didn't know what to do… Her mother never really tells her anything, and Joey wouldn't tell her about those kinds of stuff too…

"But… I-" Serenity hesitated but was cut off.

"Are you afraid?" He asked as he walked into the room, with an evil smile. But he didn't give her any chance to explain as he covered her mouth with his, swallowing all the things she might have said. Serenity's cheeks burned, and a type of new and unfamiliar fire began to burn in her body. Temperature seemed to rise for both of them as they disappeared into the room…

The closet slid back to the original place. The library was quiet once again, and no one was in it anymore. The lamp that Serenity ignited earlier was slowly fading as the oil was being used up. The library slowly returned to darkness…

* * *

Bakura crept back into the castle after he put the carriage and the two horses back where they belonged. His face was distorted out of rage and irritation as he stormed down the hallway. He had been waiting at the front gate of the castle for one whole hour! He had been waiting for nothing! He wasted his precious time!

_Damn her! Where is she?_ Bakura yelled silently in his heart. Serenity made him wasted one hour pacing back and forth or sitting on the grass like an idiot. She didn't even show up!

"This plan is not working. Next time, perhaps I really should consider accompany her out the front gate." Bakura pouted. "But that means if we get caught, I would be in trouble too."

The hallway was empty, not even a _soul_ was there. Most of the maids and guards were sleeping at this hour late in the night. The rest of them were probably some place else, like in front of the king's bedroom standing guard. Then that means he wouldn't have a chance to sneak into the king's room to see what the hell was Serenity doing.

"Tomorrow, I'll find out what she did tonight, hmph." Bakura thought, still fuming.

He went back to his own room and plopped down on his bed. His mind spinning again as he tried to come up with a better escape plan. Perhaps waiting in the front gate wouldn't be such a good idea for the next few days. Those guards being drugged by him would sure get all suspicious by tomorrow. That would only means the guards would be more alert and also increase numbers of guards everywhere in the castle to ensure the safety of the king and the queen.

A headache started pounding on his head as no plans came to his mind. Bakura slapped his forehead lightly to distract himself from the pain, but of course it's not working.

"Damn! Argh! The hell with this plan thing! I need sleep for now!" Bakura pouted and decided to delay his scheme of seducing Serenity. That wasn't really _that_ important anyway…

The castle was quiet once again. Only the fire in the secret room in the library was burning high…

* * *

**Author's note:** Good, I finished another chapter, Yippie! How's this chapter? Not as depressing, right? Originally I planned something bad to happen in this chapter, but I couldn't resist the temptation to put in some sweet memories for both of them first, so here it is.

There will be more interaction between Kaiba and Serenity also in the next chapter, yay! Some peaceful conversation, some arguments, and a BIG surprise that might make all of you want to kill me… But, please don't be angry with me, I'll have some solution to fix the mess I caused in this story, I promise!


	20. Harmony Cracked

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, something that great will only occur in my dreams, sigh…

**Note:** I know I said there will be a BIG surprise this chapter, but I pushed it to the next chapter, sorry about that. But there will be an omen, well sort of, about what might happen in the future! But like I said, there will be more interactions between Kaiba and Serenity, Yay! So, enjoy this chapter!

And thanks for all the reviews! Lots of cyber cookies for the reviewers!

**

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 20

Harmony Cracked

* * *

_The surrounding was all on fire! Layers and layers of fire surrounded her. The flames were taller than her! The burning heat of the orangish-reddish flames threatened to burn her skin. Serenity realized she was trapped in the sea of fire! There was no way of escape. Her eyes widened in fear. The one thing that she feared the most was fire! She was almost killed by fire in her childhood if Joey hadn't saved her that time._

_Serenity kneeled down on the ground and hugged her head, trying to protect herself from the flames. She started to shiver violently, tears of fear rolled down her pale cheeks. Those flames were teasing her, teasing that she couldn't escape!_

"_Joey!" Serenity yelled in fear, even her voice was trembling. But all she could see was fire. There was no sign of anyone, including her brother._

"_Seto!" Serenity tried again. There must be someone here! She's scared, really, really scared. She hated fire, hated the heat, hated the bright orange and red colors of fire! She wanted to get out of here! But no one answered her._

_Serenity continued to shiver. She felt like her heart couldn't bear her fear anymore, that it would burst really soon. The flames were inching in with a really fast pace. There was not much space she could stay safe from the fire anymore._

"_Help…" She whispered lightly. She felt so helpless, so lonely…_

"Ah" Serenity cried as she sat up from the soft bed. She grasped for the air, as if she was suffocating. Her hazel eyes were widened and filled with fear. Her eyes scanned the room, trying to figure out where she was. She brought her hands to press on her chest, and felt her heart continued to beat wildly. Then, she brought her hands to her face, and found that her cheeks were covered by tears. Serenity panted heavily for a while, and realized that was just a nightmare.

"What is it?" Seto frowned as he sat up too. He was having a good dream when Serenity's shriek woke him up from his sleep. His blue orbs scanned her face and saw how pale and colorless she was. There were tears on her cheeks too. Her hazel eyes were clearly filled with fear.

Seto pulled Serenity into his arms. His hand wiped away the tears on her face. He felt that Serenity was shivering violently. Then he stroked her auburn hair to soothe her fear. "Mind telling what's wrong?" He asked again.

"I… I was surrounded by a sea of fire…" Serenity sobbed. The fear she had in her nightmare was still seizing her in the real world. "I called for help… but no one came…"

"It's all right now. That was just a nightmare. Just a nightmare." Seto tried to calm her.

"But it felt so real… I felt so helpless…" Serenity uttered lightly with shivering voice.

"I'm here, I won't let that happen to you in real life." Seto whispered. She looked so weak, so frightened, so fragile that he had the urge to protect her from any harm.

Serenity held onto Seto's waist tightly for support. In Seto's strong arms, she no longer felt as frightened as she was in the dream. She knows, no matter what, he would protect her, that was his promise.

Serenity started to calm down. Her breathing returned to normal, her body stopped shivering, and no more tears were in her eyes. But Seto still let go of her.

Serenity rested her head on Seto's chest, she could hear his heart beat. This made her feel so close to Seto. "The thing I'm afraid the most in the world is fire." Serenity said in a quiet tone.

"Hmm? Why?" Seto asked out of curiosity. His hand continued to comb her soft hair.

"When I was little, I was almost killed by fire. If Joey didn't safe me, I wouldn't be here anymore." Serenity explained. "Ever since then, fire is like a monster to be. The burning heat is unbearable too."

Seto didn't say anything. The thought of Serenity being surrounded by fire and almost killed by fire suddenly made his heart ache. The pain was so sudden and unexpected, yet it was so strong too. He tightened his grip on her unconsciously, as if that way he could protect her from her fear.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore. It's safe with me. Now go back to sleep. It's still in the middle of the night." Seto said as he gave her a kiss on her forehead.

Serenity nodded lightly. The awareness that the fire was just a nightmare made her felt so much more relieve. When she lay down back onto the bed, Seto pulled her closer and rested one of his hand on her waist. Looking at Seto, she felt so safe and happy. She closed her eyes and sighed. With a smile, she slowly fell into the world of dreams…

* * *

Serenity flipped to her side and felt that the bed was empty. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was the only one still in the room. Where did Seto go? She wondered. Slowly, she wrapped herself with the bed sheet. As she got off the bed, her body still ached from last night. Serenity blushed at the thought of last night and quickly picked up her clothes on the floor. She wanted to take a bath, but she just realized this was just a room in the library, so there won't be any bathroom here.

Serenity dressed herself. Her hazel eyes scanned the room again and spotted the exit. The closet that hid the entrance to this room was miraculously opened, otherwise she wouldn't know how to get out of here. Serenity walked out of the room into the library. She assumed that Seto might be sitting at the desk looking at his documents, but she was wrong. There was no one in the library also. Serenity was a little disappointed. Where could Seto have gone to?

She never really looked around in the giant library, so now was her chance. Serenity observed the room. It was very neat. Hmm… that was weird, she remembered that the floor was supposed to be covered with broken pieces of glasses from last night. Guess someone cleaned it up.

Serenity continued to walk around in the room. There were so many books in the closets. History, Math, Science… It was like every information on earth was in this library. Did Seto read all of these books? Serenity pondered. If he did, then he must be a genius.

There was a painting on the wall. She never really saw it before, since it was actually her first time examining this library. In the picture, she recognized Seto, but he looked much younger back then. Next to Seto was a really cute little boy with raven hair and violet eyes. Who could this kid be?

Serenity walked towards the desk. The mere sight of all those sky-high piles of documents gave her a headache. She picked one up and saw lots of writings in it, it was about some problems caused by the rain in the kingdom. Serenity put the document down and felt sorry for Seto. How did he do it? There were so many cases he needs to look at, so many hard decisions to make everyday.

She spotted a ball of crumpled up paper in the garbage can. That was the only paper in the garbage, how weird? Serenity walked over it and picked it up. She wondered, how come only one piece of paper was being dumped into the garbage can? Serenity opened up the letter and flattened it a little. Then her hazel orbs quickly examined this paper.

_Dear Kaiba-boy,_

_How have you been lately? Haven't heard from you for weeks. Have you given up?  
__Miss your little brother Mokuba, don't you?  
__Couldn't find a better sword than mine, now could you? Perhaps you should consider joining with your brother, in the shadow realm!  
__Now, now, don't get angry with me, Kaiba-boy. It's your father's fault! You should be __angry with him!  
__Oh well… come visit me soon. Remember to bring a better sword next time!_

_From,  
__Pegasus_

Serenity's eyes widened. This letter was so… so cruel. This person, Pegasus, was clearly writing this letter to tease Seto! She was confused by this letter. Many questions popped up in her head. Seto has a little brother named Mokuba? How come she didn't see Mokuba around? Ah, it must be the cute little boy in the painting she just saw. Did… did Pegasus held Mokuba in prison or something? In the so called shadow realm? But what is Shadow Realm? It sounded so scary… And, why did Seto has to bring a sword, a better sword? And all this had to do with Seto's father? What exactly was this all about?

Footsteps were heard approaching the door of the library in the hallway. Serenity quickly crumpled up the letter and dumped it back into the garbage can, as if she was a thief secretly reading something she's not supposed to read.

Serenity eyed the closed door with curiosity. She wondered who approached the door. The footsteps stopped in front of the door.

"Did the Queen come out?" A deep and imposing voice asked. Serenity recognized that voice, it was Seto!

"No, my King." An unfamiliar voice answered. It was probably a guard or a follower of Seto.

There were no more questions and answers as the door knob was being turned. The door opened, and in walked Seto Kaiba. He was as handsome as ever, Serenity smiled. His hair was combed neatly, and he seemed to have changed his clothing from what he wore yesterday. He was now wearing a pair of black pants, a white shirt, and long blue trench coat.

_Does Seto ever dress more like a King? He always seemed so casual in the castle…_ Serenity wondered. She stood next to the garbage can quietly, didn't know what to do. She couldn't tell what Seto's mood was, since he had no facial expression at the moment.

Seto walked over and gave her a morning kiss on her lips. Then, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the doorway without saying anything. Serenity saw two guards outside the door and five maids waiting in the hallway. She didn't know what Seto was doing. "What are you doing? Where are we going?" She asked.

Seto stopped. He closed the door for a while to talk to Serenity. "Go with the maids, they'll help you with a bath. Then eat breakfast. After you're full, come back to the library. I have something very serious to tell you." Seto ordered. He planned to ask for her help to rescue Mokuba, but she need to eat something first, because he had to tell her what happened to Mokuba, so that might take a while.

"But… what about you?" Serenity asked. But from the looks of Seto, he probably took a bath and ate breakfast already… without her… Serenity lowered her eyes a bit. She felt a bit disappointed that Seto ate without her.

"I ate already." Seto said.

_See? I knew it._ Serenity thought disappointedly.

"Now, be a good girl and go with the maids." Seto said again, fondling her silky hair like she was a little kid.

"But I have something to ask you too…" Serenity said. All she could think about now was that awful letter from Pegasus, whoever he might be. However, Seto opened the door and pushed her to the maids.

"We'll discuss them when you come back then." Seto said. He gave the maids a look, and they quickly brought Serenity towards the King's bathroom for a bath. Serenity was half-forced to go with the maids. She swallowed her questions and went with the maids. Her questions could wait, but she started to feel hungry now. Therefore, Serenity followed the maids down the hallway…

* * *

Bakura walked down the hallway in a ghastly mood. The maids or the guards who happened to walked pass him all tried to keep a safe distance from him, since his expression was so furious. Obviously, he was still terribly angry at Serenity for dumping him at the front gate and made him wait for one hour last night.

He wanted to go interrogate 'the Queen' for what she had done. No one ever made him wait for nothing like an idiot, not even Kaiba. How dare she did that to him. Hmph.

While Bakura was still puffing out of anger, he spotted Serenity coming out of the King's bedroom. She wore a long pink dress with white blossoms at the bottom of the dress. Her auburn hair was down, and a bit wet at the end of her hair. Bakura assumed she must have just taken a bath. There was also a pink ribbon on her hair. She looked so happy, like an angel.

Bakura looked around and saw no one was in the hallway. He quickly ran towards Serenity and grabbed her wrist. He pulled her into a random room and shut the door. Of course Serenity tried to struggled, but to no avail.

"What are you doing?" Serenity yelled angrily. Bakura scared her to death. She thought that some bad person tried to kidnap or kill her!

"Shhh!" Bakura hissed while covering her mouth with his hand. "Are you crazy? Yelling will attract a lot of unwanted attention from the guards and the maids! Do you want to get caught being with me?" Bakura hissed with a whisper.

"What do you want?" Serenity whispered back, but she looked annoyed.

"Did you forget already?" Bakura said angrily. "You made me wait one hour in the front gate for nothing!"

"What? Huh? … Oh… right, I'm supposed to meet you in the front gate. I'm supposed to leave this castle to find Joey…" Serenity finally remembered. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you wait that long…" She said as she lowered her head, as if a naughty girl who did something wrong.

"Where were you?" Bakura asked as he glared at Serenity. "And what were you doing?"

"I… I overslept… and then I rushed towards the stairs when… when…" Serenity said. She started blushing at the thought of what happened for the rest of the night. She didn't want to tell Bakura about those, plus she didn't want to leave the castle for now. Seto still had something to tell her, so she really had to go.

"What? Do tell me you got caught." Bakura rolled his eyes. He didn't notice the blush on Serenity's face.

"No, I didn't get caught." Serenity said. She moved towards the door. "But I really have to go, can we talk later?" Serenity asked while she opened the door and ran out. She didn't give Bakura a chance to say anything. She was in a hurry to see Seto. She wanted to ask him about Mokuba, and she wanted to know what he was going to tell her.

"Hey! Wait!" Bakura yelled eagerly, but Serenity just kept on running down the hallway. "Damn her! How dare she ignored me!" Bakura fumed even more. He came out of the room back into the hallway. If he really wanted to, he could easily catch up to her. But that might attract unwanted attention like he mentioned earlier.

"Shit! I'll have to find her tonight or sometime today to talk about her escape. I probably can't bring her away anytime soon." Bakura thought angrily. Because he drugged most of the guards and maids yesterday, now the security of the castle was much more effective. He even saw more guards guarding the front gate and other important places.

Bakura continued to observe the security of the castle as he walked around every corner of it, memorizing where and how much the guards were…

* * *

Serenity approached the library. The guards saw her and bowed at her, then one of them opened the door for her. Serenity entered the library quietly. She saw that Seto was standing in front of the painting of him and that kid, probably Mokuba.

"Seto?" Serenity called his name. He seemed to be deep in thought as he stared at that picture. However, Serenity saw a sign of gentleness in Seto's face and his cerulean eyes; that gentleness was something she only saw a couple of times, usually Seto was so cold, arrogant, cruel, even to her.

Seto turned around, the gentleness lessened, but it was still there when he looked at her. At least there were still gentleness in his eyes when he looked at her, otherwise she would feel depress again. Serenity sighed in relief.

Seto walked over and pulled towards the desk. He sat in his comfortable chair, and let her sit on his laps. He let her head rest on his chest. Serenity blushed more, she still felt a bit embarrassing to be too close to Seto.

"What is it that you have to tell me?" Serenity asked curiously. She looked into Seto's blue eyes, they seemed so beautiful, so deep, and so… familiar? She felt like she had seen him way earlier then recently, as if she had seen him in her childhood. Serenity shook her head to get rid of that idea. That couldn't be, otherwise she would have remembered him.

"I need your help. Remember what I asked you last night?" Seto said without looking at her. "You promised to help me out."

Serenity thought for a while, and nodded her head lightly. "What do you want me to help you with?" She asked curiously.

"Let me tell you a story first." Seto said. His eyes changed, they were filled with pain, anger, and hate as he began the story. This time, he didn't struggle about whether or not to tell Serenity about his past and Mokuba's past. He opened his heart to her, at least enough to tell her about his past.

"I have a little brother, Mokuba. We were orphans." Seto began. Serenity gasped. She didn't know that Seto used to be orphan. Seto didn't say anything to her reactions.

"Gozaburo Kaiba adopted us when I was twelve, because he needed to train a child to be the future king of Domino Kingdom. That old man was cruel, and we hated him. He forced me to read all the textbooks you see here in the library, forced me to learn shooting, riding, fighting, war strategies, every kinds of things a strong king needs to know. The training was hard and tedious, I was almost defeated in the training, I almost gave up." Seto said without much emotion, as if he was just talking about someone else's past, not his.

"Gozaburo was so cruel… You were just a kid…" Serenity commented with teary eyes. She felt so sorry for Seto. How did he endure all those tiresome trainings? She wondered painfully.

"Like I said, that old man was a monster. It was Mokuba who supported me all the times. It was Mokuba who gave me strength to endure those tough trainings. He was always so cheerful and happy. I wanted to protect him from Gozaburo, so I did my best in everything. Finally, I defeated Gozaburo and become the King of Domino. I did it, Mokuba was safe. He wouldn't have to suffer like I did under Gozaburo." Seto stopped for a while, as if thinking about how to begin the next part of his story.

"Is Mokuba the one in the painting?" Serenity pointed to the painting. Seto nodded, then she continued to ask, "Where… is he now?"

"But two years ago, while Mokuba was in the garden outside of the castle, he disappeared. I received a letter from Pegasus, inviting me to visit his Duelist Kingdom in the North. I went. I saw Mokuba sitting on a chair, but… Pegasus had taken his soul with his Millenium Eye, an ancient Egyptian magical item. How he got it is beyond me. I don't believe in magic, but, Mokuba was like a lifeless doll in front of me! His soul was sent to the Shadow Realm according to Pegasus." The hate in Seto's eyes strengthened.

Serenity gasped. Her tears fell out of her eyes. "How could Pegasus do that? That's so cruel! Mokuba was just a kid…Why did he do that?" Serenity asked eagerly. Mokuba was just a kid, and he looked so happy and cute in that painting… But his soul was captured? That was so bizarre and sad…

"Pegasus said he wanted me to work with him to destroy Yami Kingdom." Seto continued, but was cut off by Serenity.

"What? Pegasus can't do that!" Serenity yelled. Joey and all her friends were in Yami Kingdom! She didn't want anything to happen to them.

"Of course I didn't agree. Even though Yami might be my rival, but he's not my enemy in battle. Because I refused, Pegasus took Mokuba's soul to make me comply. Pegasus gave me two options. One, I comply and work with him. Or two, I defeat him in a battle, then he will release Mokuba. But, Pegasus, somehow, found a supreme sword. He broke all the swords I ever brought to challenge him. Every time I lost, my heart was being tormented at the thought of not able to save Mokuba. Pegasus continued to tease me over and over again." Seto said, his fist tightened.

"Aww… Seto…" Serenity said. She tightened her grip on Seto's waist. Her eyes were still watery.

"However, in the last letter I got from Pegasus yesterday, he mentioned something about Mokuba's disappearance was all Gozaburo's fault. I have no idea what that snake was talking about! What does that damn old man had to do with all this?" Seto growled angrily.

All became clear to Serenity. She finally understood what that letter was talking about, except the things about Millenium items and Shadow Realm. She never heard of those before… And she still didn't know what Seto's father had to do with all this, even Seto didn't know. Otherwise, all of the questions she had in mind were being answered by Seto's story.

"So… what do you want me to help you with?" Serenity asked. She still didn't know why Seto told her this story first. What could she do to help?

"Your brother knows how to make swords. Your father used to be a good sword-maker, that was what I found out." Seto said, finally lowered his head to look at her.

"… My father… He… I don't know much about him… All I remember was that he was always drunk! And he beats Joey, me, and mother up everytime he was drunk! I hate him!" Serenity yelled as more tears formed in her eyes. "It was also him, being drunk, who almost killed me in fire… That was why my mother left, bringing me, but leaving Joey behind… She brought me to Domino Kingdom, but she was always busy working, so I thought she didn't care about me…"

Seto was surprised. He didn't know anything about Serenity's past, well not much. A vague figure suddenly appeared in Seto's mind. It was a little girl, in the garden, she was crying, and saying something about her mother didn't care about her… But he couldn't remember her face and what exactly happened…

Seto wiped off the tears on Serenity's face. Her damn father, just like that no good Gozaburo, how dare he hurt her! He waited a couple of minutes for her to calm down before he continued to tell her how she could help him out.

"At least your brother knows how to make swords. Then he must have told you too, the secret of making the best sword?" Seto asked.

"Sword?" Serenity looked at Seto confusedly. She knew that part of Joey's job was making really good swords for Yami, but there were other people whose jobs were to make swords for the rest of the armies…

"Yes, sword. You know the secret don't you? Of making the best, unbreakable sword?" Seto asked again.

"I… I… Joey never told me anything…" Serenity said as she lowered her head.

"That couldn't be. A sword-maker will pass down his formula and secret of making the best sword, so Joey must have known, and he must have told you too." Seto said fervently. She must know, otherwise why did he waste his time on her?

"But… Seto, I don't… know…" Serenity shook her head. "Joey probably knows… but why didn't you just ask him?" She asked confusedly.

"Hmph. Ask that mutt?" Seto snorted. There was no way he go and ask that mutt like an idiot. Besides, Joey probably wouldn't tell him anyway.

"Seto! Please don't call Joey mutt!" Serenity said angrily. Why couldn't Seto and Joey talk peacefully without fighting? Why did they hate each other so much?

"Whatever. Think, Serenity, think! You must know something!" Seto said as he shook her shoulders lightly. "Don't you understand? I need to make a strong sword, one that is even more supreme than the one Pegasus had! Only then could I win the duel and get Mokuba back! It has been two years! TWO years! Poor Mokuba was trapped in the Shadow Realm for two years! You're always kind, aren't you? Don't you want to help me save Mokuba?" Seto yelled a bit out of control. He couldn't accept the fact that Serenity didn't know the information he needed.

"… I'm thinking, Seto…" Serenity whimpered. She wanted to help Seto too. She wanted to save that cute little brother of Seto. But her mind was blank! Joey never told her anything about making swords! He wouldn't let her do anything, he was always too overprotective!

"Well?" Seto asked impatiently. He was now frowning and feeling irritated.

"… I… Sorry Seto… But I don't…. I don't know how to make a strong sword… I don't have the secret of it…" Serenity sobbed. "I really want to help you, I truly do! But… Joey is always so overprotective, you know that too! He didn't tell me anything, and he didn't let me do anything while I was in Yami Kingdom!"

Seto pushed Serenity away from him. His eyes were now cold and merciless. He was angry. Angry at her that she didn't know anything, that she couldn't help him. He was even angrier at himself, that he still couldn't save Mokuba, that he wasted his time with her!

Serenity stood in front of Seto helplessly. She saw the coldness in his blue eyes. She saw his anger, his irritation, and she saw he didn't trust her! Serenity's heart started to ache again. She quickly grabbed onto Seto's hands desperately, she had a feeling she had to grab onto him, otherwise he would disappear or leave her behind.

"Seto! Listen to me! I really don't know! But I want to help, if there's anything else I can do-" Serenity pleaded, but Seto shook off her hands and cut her off.

"How can you be so heartless, Serenity? I know you know the secret of making the supreme sword. You must know! Why are you hiding it from me? How can you be so cruel not to save Mokuba? Don't you know how painful it is for me to be defeated everytime, and not able to do anything to help Mokuba? My little brother means everything to me!" Seto yelled at her. He refused to believe her. If he admitted that she didn't know the sword-making formulas, then he would also be admitting that it was hopeless to save Mokuba, that he wasted all these time doing nothing!

"I'm… sorry…" Serenity whispered. Tears were dropping down her pale cheeks nonstop. She understood how much pain Seto was going through, being humiliated again and again, still couldn't help Mokuba. But there was really nothing she could do.

"Come with me!" Seto stood up abruptly and grabbed her wrist. He was originally planning to bring her down to that secret room underground, where his workers were making swords. That was why he let all the workers go home for two days. Then, he would follow all the things she said about how to make the sword, and do it himself. Then he could safe Mokuba from the misery. But all his hope and plans were ruined now that she didn't know anything! But he would still bring her down there!

"Where are we-" Serenity asked, tears were still on her face.

"Shut up!" Seto yelled angrily. He was in no mood of talking to her! All his plans were ruined! How could she? Why couldn't she just know something and help him out? He had no one else to turn to anymore!

Serenity stopped talking, just let Seto pulled her to wherever he wanted to bring her to. Not able to help him made her heart ache too. If she can, she would do anything for Seto. She really would! Because she loved him, very, very much…

* * *

**Note:** This is the longest chapter I've ever typed! Wow! Hope you people enjoy this chapter! It's sweet in the beginning, but… well, depressing at the end, isn't it? It will get worst… And the BIG surprise will be in the next chapter… Don't kill me for that surprise though, please… I planned it from the start, so I won't change it. I know I'm cruel, but, all I can say is sorry…

Please review! Let me know what you think. Cyber candies for all who review, lol.


	21. The Paramount Sword

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! And I don't own the "legend" mentioned in this chapter. This "legend" is just an idea I borrowed from those Chinese kung-fu novels and t.v. that I happened to saw and heard about.

**Note:** Here's the BIG but BAD surprise that I said would be in this chapter. Don't think that surprise is a good thing, it's really depressing… So…

**WARNING!** There's something really, terribly, extremely BAD happening in this chapter! It will be very depressing, gloomy, sad. So prepare a box of tissue, just in case you happen to be very emotional and might cry… like me… (T.T) (sniff)… But, **please don't kill me**! (got on knees and begged)...Like I said in chapter 19, the story will have a happy ending! I know I'm cruel, but this is what I planned way before I even start writing this fan-fic, so I'm not intending on changing it. Please forgive me…

Enjoy this chapter… (sniff)… yea, and thanks for the reviews!

* * *

**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 21

The Paramount Sword

* * *

Seto Kaiba's grip on Serenity's wrist was tight. He pulled her down the hallway, down the stairs all the way to the basement, and stopped in front of a big, black, heavy door made of steel. All this time, he didn't say anything to her, and didn't look at her at once. His eyebrows were frowned, and there were no temperature in his blue eyes. 

Serenity was silent all this time. She, too, was frowning, because Seto's grip on her wrist was a bit too tight to the point it kind of hurts. Her big eyes were still watery, and she couldn't stop thinking about Seto's poor little brother Mokuba. She tried to search every memory she had that might be a clue of how to weld a really powerful sword that Seto could use to defeat Pegasus. But, nothing came to mind.

Suddenly, the gigantic steel door opened. Hot breeze blew upon them. Serenity flinched at the high temperature, for her biggest fear was fire and its hotness. Seto noticed her reaction, but ignored her. He pulled her into the secret room built underground. It was the swords-welding room, but none of the workers were in there, since he let them go home for two days.

Serenity gasped at the image of this giant underground room. It was so hot in here. There were about twenty chimney-like giant structures, and white hot steams were coming out of these 'chimney'. There was also an opening at the bottom of each 'chimney', where red hot melted steel flowed out into a container. She saw molds of sword and hammers sitting at the tables near each melted-steel container. At once, she understood this was the room where the swords should be made, but… where did all the workers went? There was no one in this room.

"This is the sword-welding room. Can this help you remember some of the techniques your brother or father might have told you before?" Seto said icily. He still insisted that she must know something. Originally he would bring her down here anyway, so that she could tell him how to weld a really strong sword, but now, he just wanted to bring her down to see if she might remember anything, anything at all.

"…" Serenity opened her mouth, but no words came. She didn't look at Seto, she didn't want to see the coldness in his eyes.

"Still not going to tell me? So you intend on letting Mokuba suffer? Letting me suffer as well?" Seto yelled angrily.

"I didn't… but… I'm sorry." Serenity uttered apologetically.

"Hmph." Seto snorted. "I guess I wasted all this time for nothing. I shouldn't have brought you to my castle in the first place. I thought you're going to be some use to me, but I see you're not. Maybe if I capture your mutt brother in the very beginning, and torture him, then I might have a bigger chance of saving Mokuba." Seto said cruelly to Serenity. He was so disappointed and so furious that his last hope of pulling Mokuba out of the Shadow Realm died. He couldn't help but to blame it all on her, only in that way could he feel a little better.

"What… do you mean?" Serenity asked with a shaky voice. Her vision was all blurred by the tears in her eyes.

"You still don't get it, do you? I brought you here, gave you the title of Queen, and be patient with you all because I want to use you, use your knowledge to weld a supreme sword to save my brother. But I see I wasted my precious time." Seto continued to be unfeeling, ignoring his real feelings when he uttered those nasty words.

"... You didn't… you didn't mean what you just said…" Serenity whispered and shook her head. Her tears were shook out of her eyes. Those words were so harsh; they sliced across her heart and made her heart bleed.

"I meant every word I said." Seto said as he walked over to one of tables, but his reply made Serenity's face even paler. He poured some hot melted steel into the mold of sword. He decided to work on another sword since she could no longer help him out.

"But… What about… all those times you treated me nicely… like last night…?" Serenity asked eyeing Seto's face. She saw there was no expression on his face. "Don't you at least… like me a little? Not even a little?"

"I only wanted to use you, Serenity. Do you actually think I love you?" Seto teased sarcastically. He didn't even bother looking at her.

"… That's not… true…" Serenity refused to believe. She had seen his gentleness towards her. He had been there for her several times, like last night when she had nightmare. She knew he couldn't be acting all those times, he's just being cruel again like he used to be. He didn't, couldn't mean all those he just said to her, he didn't! "You're just lying to me, aren't you? It made you feel better to blame everything on me, isn't it?"

"Why would I?" Seto frowned, her words pricked his heart because that was exactly what he was doing to her. He ignored the sobs coming out of her mouth, but just stared at the steel cooling down in the mold, and started to harden into solid.

"I'm sorry I don't know anything about swords… But… that's not my fault!" Serenity cried. Seto was so harsh, so heartless.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore." Seto said coldly. He was no longer as angry as before, he had accepted the fact that his plan of asking for her help just failed. He did feel a little guilty for saying all those ugly words at here earlier though, but he would never apologize. He saw that the steel had hardened into solid in the mold. He took it out and started hammering it. "I have no use for you anymore. You can go find your mutt brother if you want. Just one thing, don't ever tell anyone what you heard and what you saw in my castle."

A chilling fear jolted through Serenity's whole body when she heard his order of her deportation from Domino Castle. Even her lips turned colorless. Her mind suddenly turned as blank as a white piece of paper. All she knew was that she can't leave, not just yet. Seto was still so emotionally unstable, he was still so depressed about not able to safe his little brother. How could she leave him right now? He needed someone by his side, and she will be by his side. Together, they'll think of something!

"No, Seto, don't kick me out of the castle. I can't leave now! Mokuba is still in trouble, I want to help! I can't leave you now! I'll think. I'll think really hard! Maybe I just forgot the details, maybe Joey did tell me how to weld a supreme sword, I just need some time to remember! Or maybe we can come up with some other plans?" Serenity blurted out desperately. She even rushed towards Seto and clung onto his arm like a koala.

Seto shook off Serenity's grips easily. He continued to strike the hammer onto the unfinished sword. Sweats soaked his shirt and his forehead. He totally ignored Serenity.

"… Seto? Don't make me leave… Please…" Serenity pleaded with watery eyes. She looked so fragile, but her will to stay was strong.

Seto suddenly put the hammer on the table heavily. Serenity jumped at the loud sound. He grabbed her wrist again aggressively and threw her out of the room. He slammed the heavy door in her face. He couldn't stand looking at her and listening to her, that would only make his heart soften, then he wouldn't be able to push her away. She would be much happier with her brother and her friends. He just realized that she was crying most of the time he saw her, so she should leave here, and forget all about him. He will let her go, to be happy…

* * *

_Bang_! The heavy door closed right in front of Serenity's face. Seto had shut her out of that room, and out of his heart. Two streams of tears sprinkled down her cheeks. She didn't really understand what he was thinking. Why did he say all those hurtful words? Why did he cast her out? 

Serenity turned around and walked with a really slow pace up the stairs back to her room. On the way, maids and guards greeted her, but she didn't hear them. She walked slowly like a lost soul wondering around, and finally got back to her room.

She walked out to the balcony. The sun had risen to the middle of the sky already, it was near mid-afternoon. The blue sky was so beautiful, the white clouds were like soft cotton, and a few birds flew freely in the sky. A cold breeze blew upon Serenity, it was a nice day. However, she was in no mood of enjoying the beautiful scenery. Her heart was still in that underground room where Seto was.

Serenity stared blankly towards the West. Joey should be there, because Yami Kingdom was there. But wait, Joey shouldn't be there, Joey should be in the North, they were on their way to find that white flower to cure Mai of her poison. Serenity turned and stared at the North. She suddenly climbed onto the railings of the balcony and sat on them. No, she wasn't about to jump off, she didn't want to die just yet. She just wanted to sit down somewhere, but there was no chair on the balcony.

She let her mind wonder… She remembered her happy childhood where Joey was always there for her. Her drunken father… The fire that almost killed her… Then her mother brought her away from Joey…

A picture of a garden popped up in her mind so unexpectedly. She had a vague memory of crying in a garden… then she met someone there, someone who had a pair of blue eyes, just like Seto's… yet the boy's face was blurred. Serenity took out the white jade she always had on her neck, it was the shape of a dragon. She raised the jade high in the air, and the sunlight made it transparent. Serenity loved this beautiful jade. She remembered vaguely that the boy in the garden gave this jade to her.

Her memory drifted to all those things that happened after Joey found her. The happy memories in Yami Castle with all her friends and her beloved brother… Captured by Seto… Got hurt… Mai poisoned… Last night… And just then, being pushed out by Seto… His deep blue eyes appeared in her mind, he truly had a pair of beautiful eyes, but they were always so cold…

Gradually, the image of Seto's blue eyes converged with that little boy's blue eyes. The boy's face also started to get clearer and clearer. Serenity gasped when the image of the boy in the garden became completely apparent. That little boy also had chestnut color hair, just like Seto! Actually, Serenity realized that the boy who gave her this white jade was indeed Seto! It had to be him, plus her mother brought her to Domino Kingdom, so it must be Seto in the garden! It was just that she kind of forgot all about it after six years… Did he also forget about her?

_But so what if it was Seto? It makes no difference now…_ Serenity thought sadly. Besides, Seto probably forgot all about what happened in the garden anyway. She put that jade back into her dress, then continued to stare at a fix point in sky. Nothing more came to mind…

Serenity had been sitting on the railings for hours without moving. She didn't eat, didn't think, and didn't leave like Seto ordered her to. She just sat there like a lifeless doll. The sun was about to set, and the sky was dyed orange by the sun.

Looking at the orange sky, her mind started to drift back in time once again, back to the stories Joey told her before, because one of the story had something about orange sky… One story after another popped up in her mind… But Serenity suddenly gasped at one particular story Joey told her. It was just a legend according to Joey, but it was about sword! But… Serenity shook her head. That legend was really sad… so it couldn't be true… but, if that was the only way to help Seto… even though he treated her so harshly, but… what if that legend can really help him out?

After another hour or so of pondering on the legend Joey told her before, Serenity jumped off the railings back onto the balcony. She walked slowly to Seto's library to find some paper and ink. There was determination in her eyes. Like she said, she would do anything for him no matter how cruel he treated her.

As she scribbled something down, one drop of tears still dropped on the paper. She tried to hold in her tears, but minutes later, another drop dripped onto the paper. It required all the energy she had to finish this letter. After that, she folded the paper in half. She then took off the pink ribbon on her hair. She took off the jade necklace and tied it to the letter with her ribbon.

After that, Serenity went back to the room, hoping Seto would go back to the room tonight. She had something to give to him. She had made a decision, it was about how to make the task of rescuing Mokuba come true. She would do anything for Seto, even if she had to follow the example in that legend Joey told her.

Serenity sat on the bed, waiting. The sky turned into dark blue already, signaling that the sun had set. Stars shone brightly in the sky. She just sat on the bed, staring blankly into the space once again. She had made a decision, so there's nothing more to think about. She had to be brave. Be brave for Seto…

* * *

The chirpings of birds woke Serenity up. She was lying on the bed, and her hand was still clutching onto the letter she wrote for Seto, which was tied with her jade by her ribbon. She probably had fallen asleep while waiting for Seto… Then that means Seto didn't come back to the room… Disappointment appeared on her face. He didn't come back. 

Serenity grabbed the letter tightly in her hand and rushed out of the room. She wondered towards the library, where Seto might be. But to her disappointment, he wasn't in the library. The library was totally empty. There was no sign of him staying here last night… Serenity stood silently in the empty library, pondering where Seto could have been. The castle was so huge, and she wasn't totally familiar with it. She only knew several places, like her room, the library, and the underground sword-welding room…

_That's right! He might still be there!_ Serenity thought. She rushed out eagerly and went down the stairs back to the underground room. She stood in front of the heavy steel door, unable to move. Her fear of hot temperature and fire… This room reminded her of her worst fear, with all those hot melted steel… Yet, she had to go in. Thinking of Seto made her calm.

Laboriously, Serenity pushed with all her might on the giant steel door. Slowly, the door slid open inches by inches, until it opened up entirely. Hot temperature covered her at once as she entered the room. Seto was there! He was sitting on the floor, lifelessly, with his head lowered… There were three swords on the table. It seemed like he made three swords since yesterday without rest.

Serenity inched towards Seto, he didn't budge. Serenity inspected the swords on the table, they were pretty sharp and hard. They looked like they were good swords, very good… But why did Seto looked so depress still? Was it that Pegasus's sword is even stronger than these fine swords? Unbelievable… No wonder Seto was still so demoralized…

"What do you want?" Seto asked icily. He stood up and started to pour melted steel into another mold. "Didn't I tell you to get out of my castle?" He growled, not looking at her.

Looking at Seto, Serenity suddenly took out a handkerchief that she took earlier. She walked closer to Seto and wiped off the sweat on his forehead. There was something else in her eyes when she looked at Seto, as if she wanted to inscribe Seto's image onto her heart, forever. But he didn't notice, he didn't even look at her. But he was distracted by her gentle gesture. He secretly hoped that this moment would last forever… Otherwise, she would leave him eventually, or so he told her to go away.

"Is… Mokuba always number one in your heart?" Serenity asked softly.

"Of course he is!" Seto growled. The thought of Mokuba just made his mood even more depress.

"Even more important than… me?" Serenity asked again.

"…" Seto didn't say anything at first. That was a really hard question for him to answer, it really was. "Sure, whatever." He said ambiguously.

"You want to save Mokuba… That's your priority over everything else?" Serenity looked into his deep cerulean eyes.

"Yes! Why are you asking me all these things?" Seto growled again. "Didn't you see I'm working really hard here trying to make a good sword?"

"Are you going to sacrifice me to save Mokuba?" Serenity whispered. She just wanted an answer.

"Why are you asking this?" Seto's eyes widened at her question. He refused to answer that question. Yet, his heart was yelling: _NO! I won't sacrifice you to save my brother! There's no need to sacrifice you! There will be other ways to save him!_ But he didn't say it.

Seeing that Seto didn't reply, she thought his answer was yes, just didn't tell her. Serenity nodded lightly.

"Then… my decision is right…" She mumbled, but he heard it. There was calmness in her eyes. No need to be afraid anymore, because it's all for Seto.

Seto finally turned to look at her. He saw the tranquility in her eyes, as if nothing more matters. No more fear, no more sadness, just some desire to carve him onto her heart? He had a feeling she was about to disappear… Fear suddenly seized his heart, he had a bad feeling… And, what exactly did she mean her decision is right? What decision? Seto grabbed onto Serenity's shoulder unconsciously. "What are you planning to do?" He asked with a shaky voice.

"I promise that I will help you out, Seto. I will carry out my promise." She said, not looking at him. She hugged him suddenly and tightly. Tears swelled up behind her closed eyelids. _Joey, sorry… forgive my selfishness… Seto, I'm going to… miss you…_

Seto wrapped his arms tightly around her also. He didn't know why there was fear in his heart? He didn't understand what she was thinking. Why did she ask him so many weird questions? And what did she mean when she said she will carry out her promise?

"Don't forget me, Seto… I don't want to be lonely anymore…" Serenity whispered softly, so that he couldn't hear her. Her tears sprinkled down her cheeks. He would be her only grief, she would miss him always, forever.

"You should… be going." Seto said, taking in a breath of her fragrance. He didn't forget that he wanted her to leave Domino Castle and go find her brother yesterday. Perhaps if she goes to find Joey, his fear will go away, because he knew Joey was always so over-protective. Joey will keep Serenity safe.

"Okay… I'll be going…" Serenity said as let go of Seto. But Seto stared at her blankly. All he knew was that Serenity's leaving him. _She will be going to find Joey…_ He thought unhappily, yet he was the one who wanted her to go.

She took Seto's hand and handed him the letter she wrote yesterday. The letter was tied with the jade with a pink ribbon. A weak smile appeared on her face, lightened up her pale face.

"What is this?" Seto asked suspiciously.

"Look at it later. Not now…But you must look at it!" Serenity stopped his motion of untying the pink ribbon. "This letter will help you understand everything."

"Understand what?" Seto asked confusedly. Why did she act so weird ever since she stepped into this room today?

Serenity just shook her head. She didn't want to tell him. It was all explained in the letter. Seeing that she didn't want to say anything, Seto put the letter aside and went back to work on the sword. "Are you… leaving now?" He asked while he hammered the sword. He didn't want to see her leave, that would make his mood worse.

Serenity didn't answer. She just stood there for a while longer, memorizing Seto's every expressions. When she turned around, she silently wiped away the tears on her face. Seto noticed she walked away, but didn't pay attention to where she went. He was already overwhelmed by her departure, and an unknown fear, so he didn't concentrate on her.

After several minutes of silence, except for the sound of him hammering the sword, there were noises thudding in a rhythmic pattern, as if someone was climbing stairs. Stairs! The thought of stairs in this room alarmed Seto. He quickly looked around and spotted Serenity climbing the stairs on the giant chimney structure. Seto quickly ran towards where she was.

"What the hell are you doing?" Seto yelled in fear. He ran as fast as he could towards her, but she was already mid-way on the chimney. "Get down here right now! Don't you know it's dangerous climbing onto the chimney?"

"It's okay, Seto." Serenity yelled at him calmly. She didn't stop climbing up the stairs. The temperature here was really hot, much hotter than just standing in the room.

Seto finally reached the stairs. He started climbing up also, trying to catch onto Serenity. "Stop right there, Serenity! Don't you move!" He growled at her, trying to halt her movement.

Serenity knew Seto was trying to catch up to her. She climbed as fast as she could. She was almost to the top. _Don't give up, Serenity!_ She yelled in her heart. _Just a little more! Don't let him catch you! Otherwise, there's no more hope!_

Finally Serenity got to the top of the chimney. The chimney was really high… She stood at the edge and looked down at the hot melted steel a couple of feet down in the chimney. The melted steel was red. It must be really hot… Hot… But, she's not afraid of it. Not anymore.

"I want you to be happy, Seto…" She told him sincerely.

Seto was almost on top of the chimney also. He looked up and saw a faint smile appeared on Serenity's face. The fear he felt earlier started to intensify to the point he could hardly breathe. He tried his best to climb up as fast as he could. "Don't move, Serenity! I'm coming!" Seto shouted to her.

"Make the best sword, Seto, and go save Mokuba." Serenity said with a fragile yet beautiful smile.

Seto was just two to three more steps until he reach the top. He didn't know what she meant by that, he didn't want to understand! "Don't you dare move, Serenity! Don't you dare!" He yelled out of intense fear.

"I'll always be with you, Seto." Serenity declared. With that, she stepped backward into the opening of the chimney and felt her body being pulled downward by gravity. Her smile was still on her face, even when the heat intensified around her.

"Serenity!" Seto roared and his eyes widened. The tip of his finger touched Serenity's sleeves. He almost caught her! Almost! He was finally on top of the chimney, but… all he could do was watch Serenity fell down, being sucked down by gravity! He saw her beautiful smile on her face, her dress billowed when she fell.

Crystal-like tears made her face look so pale… But they weren't tears of fear, not the fear of fire and hotness… But tears of grief, her grief of not able to support him in the future, her grief of not able to accompany him anymore, her grief of leaving him behind… No matter what he's emotion might be in the future, she wouldn't know… because she will be gone in a few second…

Then… reflected in his cerulean eyes… she was engulfed by the melted steel. She was gone. Seto fell onto his knees, his hand was still in the position of trying to grab her hand. She was engulfed by the melted steel right in front of his eyes!

"SERENITY" He roared loudly and miserably, like a wounded beast. "NO!" His heart was being sliced into pieces, thousands if not millions of pieces! He could felt blood pouring out of his heart. It was extremely hard for him to breathe. He clutched his chest with his hands, trying to stop the pain. He repeatedly shook his head. "This must be a nightmare! It has to be a nightmare! She couldn't be… gone… Gone forever…" Seto murmured painfully. He had the urge to jump in after her, but he couldn't. Mokuba was still waiting for him…

"Why? Why, Serenity? Why did you do that?" He murmured some more. His brown bangs covered up his eyes due to his lowered-head position. A drop of tear fell into the chimney where Serenity just fell in. Then, two drops, three drops,… _The_ Seto Kaiba never cries, never, not even when his brother's soul was taken. This would be the only exception.

New melted steel poured into the container at the bottom of this chimney. Seto just sat there on top of the chimney, unable to move. All his energy had been sucked out. After spotting the letter she gave him earlier and the newly poured out melted steel, Seto climbed back down the chimney really slowly. He stumbled towards the letter and picked it up.

He untied the pink ribbon. There was still Serenity's fragrance on the ribbon. He remembered she tied that ribbon on her beautiful auburn hair just yesterday, but now… she's gone… forever… Seto's eyes got red again. He saw that white jade, it was made by him! Seto was astonished by it. He took out his jade, it was exactly the same. Mokuba had one, and there was one more in the safety box in his room. Then… how did this one be attached with the letter? Didn't he lost it or gave it to someone a long time ago?

Put the ribbon and the jade necklace aside, he unfolded the letter. It was from Serenity. He knew, since she handed it to him. She said look at it later. Did she mean… look at it after she… was gone? Seto thought painfully. His blue orbs started to read the letter carefully.

_Dear Seto,_

_I'm really happy! I suddenly remembered where I got this white jade necklace! You gave it to me! Remember, six years ago, in the garden, I was crying, and you saw me? You probably don't remember... Anyway, I really love this necklace, it's so beautiful. And most important of all, I never took it off, it has been through many troubles and loneliness with me all these years._

_I also thought of something… A legend my brother Joey told me years ago… It's a really sad yet beautiful legend. A long time ago, the legend goes, there were a husband and a wife. They loved each other deeply. For some reason, which was lost already when Joey heard of it, they need to weld a strong sword. The wife sacrificed herself. Her blood and flesh was melted together with steel. The husband welded the sword with the melted steel, which was mixed with his wife's blood and his wife's love. The spiritual power of this sword was supreme over all other swords, because it contained the wife's energy, her love for her husband, and her sincerity. Isn't it a sad, yet beautiful, story?_

_Even though it might just be a legend, but… it's the only clue I could think of. This is the only way to help you, Seto. I'm really sorry that I couldn't help you much earlier… But like I promised, I'll help you out if I think of anything. I promised to help you, so I won't disappoint you! If you are that husband from the legend, I'm willing to be that wife of yours. I don't want to see you all depressed and feeling guilty of not able to save your brother again. I'm glad I could help…_

_Now that you understand everything I did… Make the best sword in the world, a paramount sword, and go save Mokuba! Go beat up Pegasus! Best of luck! I'll always, always be with you… My energy and my love will be in the sword, by your side… I'll fight along side with you! I know, you'll be happy after your brother is safe. I hope, I can see your smile once again… But I will never really see that smile… that is my only regret, the only thing I can never do…_

_Tell Joey that I'm sorry, sorry I can't see him again… Tell him to forgive my selfishness of wanting to help you… Don't fight with him again, please._

_And, like I said earlier in the letter, I really love this fade necklace… Can you please tie my necklace onto the sword? I want to wear it forever… because… it was a present from you… Thank you, Seto._

_Love always,  
__Serenity Wheeler._

After reading the letter, he was speechless for a few minutes, trying to digest the information she wrote down in the letter. His mind was all blank, unable to think. The image of her falling down the chimney kept on repeating and repeating in his mind, driving him crazy. He finally understood what he saw in her eyes earlier. She wanted to carve his face, his expressions, onto her heart, so she would remember him always.

"What kind of stupid legend is that?" Seto growled angrily. _Spiritual power of the sword? I don't believe in magic, remember, Serenity?_ He thought sadly.

Then, the memory of that night when she had a nightmare popped up in his head. Her voice was shaky, he remembered. She said…

_I… I was surrounded by a sea of fire…_

_I called for help… but no one came…_

_It felt so real… I felt so helpless…_

_The thing I'm afraid the most in the world is fire._

_When I was little, I was almost killed by fire. If Joey didn't safe me, I wouldn't be here anymore._

_Ever since then, fire is like a monster to me. The burning heat is unbearable too…_

Seto's eyes widened at the memory. She said she was afraid of fire! How could she endure the high temperature of the melted steel? Melted steel was basically similar to fire, they both burn and they were really hot! Her nightmare did come true, didn't it? He promised he wouldn't let that happen to her, but he couldn't keep his promise… just like he couldn't keep the promise to Mokuba that he'll always protect him… He was such a failure… Seto clutched his hands to his chest again, the excruciate pain in his heart…

"Why are you so stupid? How could you trust a legend that no one could prove true? Why can't you be more selfish? Why can't you think for yourself? Why did you do so much for me?" He murmured. "How could you leave the world behind so easily? Leaving me behind?"

Seto saw a few drops of dried tears on the letter… Was it painful for her to write all these and did that for him? Was it even worth it? Didn't she know that he didn't want her help like this? How could she just plan everything without telling him?

Seto's eyes went back to look at that jade. Suddenly, his memory of a little girl crying in the garden became clear. He had forgotten about that for years. That little girl was so cute, hazel eyes, auburn hair… It really was Serenity… He really did give her that jade…

… _I want you to be happy, Seto…_

… _Make the best sword, Seto, and go save Mokuba…_

… … _I'll always be with you, Seto… …_

Serenity's voice kept on replaying in his mind. "But how can I still be happy?" Seto roared with all his might. "I don't deserve to be happy…" He said gloomily. "Not after what you did…"

Another drop of crystal-like tears dropped onto the letter, it was from him. The new tears accompanied the dried tears on the letter. Seto wiped his eyes. He folded the letter nicely, and kept it in his pocket.

He spotted the newly poured out melted steel in the container. He hated it, hated it so much! Because she was being engulfed by that despicable melted steel! But her voice and her letter were like a strong force, pulling him over to the container. It was her will to help him, her love for him, that made her aspire to sacrifice herself…

"I won't let you sacrifice for nothing." Seto stated. He poured out the melted steel into the mold. He kept in mind that her blood and flesh were in there, so he would weld the sword carefully. He wouldn't waster her wish. This sword will be the paramount sword!

After hours of hard work, Seto finally finished a beautiful sword. It was really sharp, and really shinny. The hardness was also the most durable he had ever seen so far, he predicted that this sword was unbreakable. But ironically, if he could choose, he'd rather not have this sword, because… he got it by trading in her life…

Seto walked over to the table and picked up the jade necklace. As her wish, he tied it onto the bottom of the sword's handle. The necklace will always be with her now. While he was tying it, there was tenderness in his usually cold blue eyes. Even his gesture was gentle, which rarely happens.

However, after he put the sword back into the sheath, and put it on his waist, he walked out of this sword-welding room. He never wanted to step in here again, never. It would only remind him of her, of this painful memory. He wanted to forget… yet he wanted to remember her…

His eyes turned back into temperatureless. The cerulean orbs were even icier than ever. From now on, Pegasus will pay. He will pay for all these troubles he caused. He will pay for her death! And pay for Mokuba's suffering!

"No more love." Seto murmured. He would never repeat his mistake ever. He loved Mokuba, and when his brother was captured and he couldn't save him, he felt unbearable pain. He made the same mistake again. He opened his heart to Serenity, and now that she was gone, he almost wanted to kill himself. His love for Mokuba will always be there, when he saved him. But, no more love for any other people, no more.

After the preparation for visiting Duelist Kingdom in the North, he started on his journey. Destroying Pegasus was no longer enough. What he wanted to do was to destroy the whole Duelist Kingdom!

"Just you wait, you snake!" Seto gritted his teeth as he departed from his castle, holding tightly onto his newly made sword…

* * *

**Note:** (T.T)… I know, I know (sniff)… You want to kill me, didn't you? sniff (Hide in my room and pray…) I will revive Serenity though, so let me live so I can compensate for what I did here… Remember, I put this fan-fic in the "supernatural" genre, so basically I will have some way of reviving her. I'll revive her, I promise! (bow down at readers to show my sincerity.) 

About the legend I wrote here, I remembered either seeing it in a really old movie, or I read about it somewhere in those kung-fu novels my father likes. There is a name for that husband and that wife, I think the husband is called "Gan Jiang" and the wife is called "Mo Xie"… The whole story about this couple, I really don't remember. I saw it a really really long time ago, when I'm still in public school… It was also this "legend" I heard about that gave me this idea of this fan-fiction… Of course, it's not really a legend in real life, it's just a story some famous writer created.

(sniff) Okay… would any kind people please review? Pretty please? I know you are in a bad mood after you read this depressing chapter… but… pretty please?


	22. Stuck in the Castle

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Similarity with any other story is pure coincident.

**Note:** The most tragic moment had ended, we endure through it! Now let us move on with the plot. We're going to take a break from Seto/Serenity. Instead, let's take a look at Joey and others at Duelist Kingdom with Pegasus as their host.

I made a big mistake in the really early chapter. I wrote that Rebecca is the old _King Motou_'s granddaughter, which was terribly wrong! Yami and Yugi are the old King Motou's grandsons, not Rebecca. Instead, Rebecca is supposed to be the granddaughter of the old King Motou's best friend, the scholar Hawkins. Please forgive my blunder.

Thanks for all the reviews! I appreciate them greatly. Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 22

Stuck in the Castle

* * *

The sun was shinning brightly and intensely in the middle of the clear blue sky. It was hot, yet the streets were still busy, with sellers and buyers trying to compromise on the price of the goods. It was noisy and crowded, making people irritated. 

Two men, one with black hair and beautiful emerald eyes, and the other with brown spiky hair and brown eyes, walked down the street with heavy steps. The high temperature got to them, to the point that the noises no longer affects them. After another few hours of walk, they finally approached the gate of Yami Castle. They looked terribly tired, after walking a long way back to their Kingdom from Domino Kingdom. The sight of their castle reflected off Tristan's eyes, and he exclaimed excitedly to his friend.

"Look, Duke! We're finally back!" Tristan pointed towards the closed giant gate, while slapping the shoulder of Duke.

Duke brushed Tristan's hand off his shoulder. "I know, Tristan, I can see." He said somewhat annoyed of his friend.

They had been kicked out of Domino Castle by Kaiba eight days ago, but they lingered in Domino Kingdom for one day, outside of the castle, refused to go away. It was still pretty hard for them to accept the fact that the girl of their dream – Serenity Wheeler – had been claimed by _the_ Seto Kaiba. They loitered outside of the castle, occasionally trying to sneak back in, especially Tristan, but were always blocked by the guards. At last, they decided it was time to go back. There was no point staying there anymore.

"That damn Kaiba. He kicked us out, yet didn't give us a ride back to Yami Kingdom…" Duke pouted to himself. It took them seven whole days to walk back on feet! That means they wasted one week on the road! But the truth was, even if they were offered a ride back, they probably would have refused, because they still hoped to see Serenity before they truly have to come back.

When they approached the gate, the guards immediately recognized them. They saluted the two men and opened the gate instantly. A guard also went into the castle to report Tristan and Duke's return to Prince Yugi.

When Tristan and Duke approached the lobby, Yugi ran out to greet them. He was sixteen years old, just one year younger than Yami, Joey, Tristan, and Duke. However, he was definitely much shorter than all of them. Yugi had the exact same type of hair style as Yami, but he was shorter than his big brother and had larger, more innocent eyes. Before Yami and all the others went to Domino Castle in a hurry after receiving words of Serenity in a coma, he had told Yugi to take care of any problems in Yami Kingdom until his return.

"Hey Tristan! Hey Duke!" Yugi ran out and gave them a friendly hug, welcoming their return.

"Hey Yugi…" Tristan and Duke answered in unison, but lack of enthusiasm.

"What's wrong, guys?" Yugi asked with a raised eyebrow. They sound so devoid of energy. "Why are you guys back so early? How come you didn't go with Yami and the others to Duelist Kingdom?" Yugi questioned with concern. He thought they would always help Joey out if Joey's in trouble, which Joey was, because of Mai's poisoning.

"What do you mean?" Duke asked, confused about why the others were at Duelist Kingdom. He looked confusedly at Tristan, but Tristan just shrugged.

"You mean Joey and Yami didn't come back yet?" Tristan asked, even more confused than Duke.

"No, you guys didn't know?" Yugi gasped in surprise. What were these two doing in Domino Castle? Did they locked themselves up somewhere deep in the castle that they didn't even know the others went in search of a rare flower to cure Mai? Unbelievable.

"Unfortunately… We were kicked out of the castle by _Kaiba_ two weeks ago." Duke gritted his teeth at the mention of Kaiba.

"Oh my! What did you two do there?" Yugi gasped again. Yami didn't say anything about that in the short letter he sent to him.

"Nothing! We were just talking to Serenity and Kaiba came out of nowhere and decided evilly to kick us out! He's a devil I tell you!" Tristan yelled, still angry at the humiliation of being kicked out.

"I bet you guys are trying to lay hands on Serenity gain, no wonder you guys got kicked out." Yugi mumbled to himself while shaking his head. These two were truly unbelievable. Would they ever change? Probably not. Yugi sighed.

"So tell us what happened to Yami and Joey." Duke said. He was worried about his best friends too. Duelist Kingdom was a dangerous place to be in, especially because of that lunatic Pegasus.

"Yea, why are they there? Even hearing the words Duelist Kingdom gives me the chill." Tristan joined in, also worried about the others.

"To make a long story short, I got a letter from Yami one week ago, saying that Mai was poisoned. Exactly how and why are still a big, unsolved mystery. There is only one way to cure her rare poison: to find this rare flower in the cold mountains in the North, unfortunately the location is inside of Duelist Kingdom. Joey, being a bit rash, almost rushed directly there with Mai. However, Yami and Tea decided to tag along, just to help Joey and Mai out. So, they journey into the dangerous Duelist Kingdom on a quest to save Mai. Um, let's see… if I remembered correctly, they left Domino Kingdom about eight days ago, that's what the letter said… Hey wait a minute, then that means you got kicked out of the castle at the same day they left on their quest! Then how come you guys still didn't know about Mai being poisoned?" Yugi protested unhappily.

"Wait… come to think of it… When we were in the garden with Serenity, a maid ran by and told Joey something was wrong with Mai, and Joey rushed off. Remember that, Tristan?" Duke asked after analyzing what Yugi just told them.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that!" Tristan smacked his forehead with his hand. "So Mai wasn't just sick, she's poison? Should we go help them out?"

"I doubt that you two will be able to get into Duelist Kingdom. Pegasus doesn't quite allow random people to just enter and exit his kingdom, you know. You two are better off staying here and help me out. I got so many things to do here!" Yugi whined a bit. He was crushed with all those paperwork concerning the kingdom that he almost suffocate in those piles of papers.

"Okay, fine." Tristan agreed and Duke nodded. "But let us take a nap first. You don't know how tired it was the walk all the way back, man!" Tristan whined, and Duke nodded in agreement once again. Even before Yugi say anything, they both disappeared light lightning down the hallway already, rushing towards their own rooms.

Watching them, Yugi let out a small sighed. Those two were just… can't even find the right word to describe them. Weird, maybe.

"Yugi!" A twelve-year old girl with blonde hair suddenly came out of nowhere and gave Yugi a big bear hug. She just loved doing that. She then let out a happy sigh.

"Hey Rebecca." Yugi chuckled. Rebecca was so cute. Her navy blue eyes were so shinny. Thank god Rebecca was always there to cheer him up with some joke when he was almost being suffocated by those piles and piles of papers. Otherwise, he probably couldn't bear those gigantic loads of work his brother Yami has to face each day.

"Were you talking to someone?" She asked with a smile, still didn't let go of Yugi.

"Yeah. Tristan and Duke came back." Yugi said and gently pushed her off, instead holding onto her hand.

"Oh. They didn't go with the others? Why?" Rebecca asked halfheartedly. The only person she really cared about was Yugi.

"Got kicked out of Kaiba's castle because they tried to flirt with Serenity." Yugi said and then shook his head.

"Those two idiots!" Rebecca snorted. Not only was Kaiba cold, cruel, heartless, but he was also pretty possessive… well according to the rumor Kaiba was. Oh well, she didn't care that much about Tristan and Duke anyway.

"I have to go back and process those annoying documents… You want to come?" Yugi asked. He loved Rebecca's accompany. Even though sometimes she might talk too much and got mad at some petty, little thing, which _was_ a bit annoying, but overall, she was very nice to him and always cheered him up. Besides, she clearly liked him a lot too.

"Of course I want to go!" Rebecca said. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of those annoying documents. Those damned papers took up so much of Yugi's time. She wished Yami would come back soon, so that Yugi can have fun with her, and maybe travel outside of the castle for a few days. She wanted Yugi to spend more time with her, not with the papers!

"Let's go then." Yugi pulled Rebecca towards the library.

"When's Yami coming back?" Rebecca whined while swinging Yugi's arm.

"Don't know." Yugi answered. Rebecca whined some more about how much work Yugi had to deal with everyday as they went down the hallway towards the library. Yugi's chuckles could also be heard disappearing down the hallway. Soon, the lobby was empty once again…

* * *

In a nicely decorated room, Mai lay lifelessly in the middle of the bed. The bed sheet covered her whole body, all the way up to her chin. Her yellow tresses lay softly on the white pillow. Her face was extremely pale, and her lips were as white as a paper. Mai had been seeping into a coma ever since she was poisoned, and it had already been eight days! 

Joey paced back and forth angrily in the large room. They got here three days ago. Pegasus first treated them to a nice dinner, then sent them to their rooms. The worst was, Pegasus even sent guards to "watch" them! Whenever they tried to step out of their room, the guards would be following them! If they tried to leave the castle, they would be blocked. It was Pegasus order, according to those guards, that they may not leave the castle! This was so frustrating! Ugh!

"I don't understand! Why would Pegasus not allow us to leave?" Joey protested out loud. Mai can't wait! She needed to be cured of her goddamn poison! He couldn't even think of the consequences if they don't leave right now! "We're basically stuck here like roast pigs waiting to be eaten or something!"

Joey started reviewing what happened three days ago, when they got lead into Pegasus's castle from the gate of Duelist Kingdom…

_---_

_(flashback)_

_The carriage entered the castle. Guards led Yami, Tea, and Joey into the castle, with Mai cradled in Joey's arms. They were led into an extravagantly decorated dining hall. Pegasus was sitting at the far end of the dining table. On the table, there were at least one hundred dishes of expensive food._

"_Welcome to Duelist Kingdom!" Pegasus said with a smirk as he stood up. He even made an exaggerated bow at them. "I never expect the King of Yami Kingdom to visit me so suddenly." He said mockingly._

"_Yes, I know we showed up too suddenly, and I apologize." Yami said courteously. He walked over to Pegasus and extended his hand for a handshake, but was a bit embarrassed when Pegasus just walked around him towards Joey and Mai._

"_My, my! What do we have here?" Pegasus uttered. He stopped in front of Joey and looked pitifully at Mai. "What is wrong with her?" He mocked at Joey. Pegasus knew exactly what happened to Mai, since Bakura was his accomplice._

"_I'm Joey Wheeler, tha swordsman of Yami Kingdom. This is Mai Valentine. She was poisoned five days ago, but none of the doctors know how ta cure her." Joey explained to Pegasus. His brown eyes showed how worried he was about Mai._

"_That's too bad, what a pity she has to die at such a young age." Pegasus shrugged and walked back to his seat._

"_She won't! I'm gonna find the cure and cure her!" Joey voiced his determination out loud. He walked over to one chair and put Mai down. She sure was heavy if one tries to carry her for too long, despite how slim she looked._

"_Really? How are you going to do that?" Pegasus asked, evil slid across his brown eyes and was covered instantly. He knew exactly how Mai could have been saved, but he wasn't about to let them have their ways. "Sit, people. I've prepared a welcome dinner for you all. Enjoy the dinner first." Pegasus pointed to the chairs, hinting them all to sit down._

_After Joey sat down, he immediately got back to the conversation about saving Mai. "King Pegasus, may we go up into tha northern mountains? I really need ta-" Joey was cut off._

"_King Pegasus! I'm Tea Gardner. Um, what Joey meant was we really want to go visit the legendary northern mountains! We've heard it is beautiful, covered with snow all year long!" Tea cut off Joey. They still couldn't just tell Pegasus of the reason they came, who knows what Pegasus was thinking? From the rumor, Pegasus sounded like a person no one can trust. They needed to leave in one piece, and then journey on their own to the northern mountains without letting Pegasus know._

"_Oh." Pegasus uttered, but his fake cheerful mask suddenly collapsed. His face turned into a twisted scowl, but his voice seemed normal. "Well, it's not safe to venture into the northern mountains. The snow and the freezing temperature had claimed many lives in the past. I wouldn't allow my guests to get hurt, would I?"_

_Yami, Tea, and Joey all gasped at Pegasus's sudden change of expression. It was creepy how he suddenly scowled, yet his voice remained sort of normal. They all froze on the spot, too shock to move a muscle. The silence was dreadful._

"_Ahem… excuse me." Pegasus made a fake cough and broke the silence. His facial expression returned to normal, yet there was a weird, distorted image still left in everyone's mind. "The foods are delicious, hmm-hmm." Pegasus gossiped, sipping his red wine._

_They all lowered their head and ate the food silently. No one dare mention venturing into the northern mountain in front of this eerie Pegasus anymore. The dining all was quiet, except for the sounds of forks and spoons scooping up the food._

"_After the dinner, maids will bring you up to your room. Since you are my special guest, there will be guards protecting you, wherever you go. I wouldn't want my guests to be harmed, that's terrible on my part." Pegasus broke the silence again, emphasizing 'wherever you go,' hinting that they shouldn't leave his castle without his permission._

"_I see. We're honored." Yami managed to utter. He really didn't like the way Pegasus was acting. Pegasus was probably hiding something from them, especially when he refused to let them go into the mountains._

_When they finished their dinner, the maids came and was about to guide them to their rooms. Pegasus suddenly warned them with a ghastly voice, "One more thing, don't ever venture into the northern mountains. I don't appreciate people taking the rare flower that belongs to my kingdom."_

_They all gasped again. They didn't mention anything about wanting to take that rare flower in the mountains to cure Mai's poison. How did Pegasus know? There's definitely something fishy going on around here. Pegasus seriously crept the hell out of them. Joey's temper started to boil. He needed that flower to cure Mai! That selfish Pegasus!_

"_Have a sweet dream!" Pegasus's voice returned to normal with a tone of fake cheerfulness in it. He waved at them and the maid led them down to their rooms…_

_(end of flashback)_

_---_

_Knock, knock_. Two quick and soft knock on the door pulled Joey back to reality. He turned and looked at the door suspiciously. "Don't tell me it's that creep Pegasus." Joey pouted and walked over to open the door. Yami and Tea quickly slipped into the room once Joey opened the door. Once they got in, they quickly closed the door without making any noise. They looked like they were sneaking around, Joey thought.

"What's going on here?" Joey asked with confusion. Did they just sneak into his room? And he didn't see those guards waiting outside the hallway too.

"Listen Joey, something's not right here. I think Pegasus deliberately kept us in here. I have a feeling he didn't want to let us heal Mai." Yami analyzed the situation.

"I figured." Joey frowned. He walked back to the bed and lightly caressed Mai's pale cheek.

"So, we lured those annoying guards away already. But they'll probably be back soon." Tea explained why they were sneaking around.

Joey's eyes brightened. Why didn't he think of that? Now that no guards were there, they may be able to sneak out of the castle and make an escape. "Does it mean we can escape?" He wanted to make sure.

"Yes, Joey, that's the plan Tea and I came up with." Yami nodded his head in agreement. "However, I'm sure there are much more guards all around the castle, especially at the main gate of the castle. We can't all escape together, and not through the main gate. Someone will have to lure those other guards away." Yami went on to explain his concern.

"Uh… That's not good…" Joey looked worried. He scratched his head and made his blonde hair even messier than it already was. "So what exactly is your plan again?"

"Tea and I will be luring those guards at the side gate in north. You, meanwhile, take Mai and escape from the side gate. Head north towards the northern mountains, but be careful, Joey." Yami looked at Joey's eyes with determination. He had an obligation to help his friend.

"But I don't wanna leave any of you behind, and I mean _any of you_!" Joey protested. He hated to think of the consequences if any of his friends got caught because they tried to help him out. "What if ya get caught or something? Remember, this is Pegasus's place we're talking about!"

"Joey, we are friends, remember? Friends are supposed to help one another out!" Tea placed a hand on Joey's shoulder to assure him to trust them. "We can't just sit around here looking at Mai getting paler and paler each day! Trust us, Joey."

Joey lowered his head. His brown eyes wandered towards Mai's pale face. Tea was right, they need to get out of here right now! There was no other way around this but to go with Yami's plan. Finally, he nodded his head and complied with the plan.

"So when are we leaving?" Joey asked. His eyes drifted towards Yami, then to Tea, and back to Mai.

"A little past midnight. The guards are more likely to be sleepy and tired by then, and they will be less alert." Yami said.

"But it's only in the afternoon now, there's still a long time to go. Where are ya gonna stay until? Sneak back to ya room? Wouldn't the guards be suspicious of you two since you guys lured them away once already?" Joey asked cautiously. He would hate to see the guards being suspicious of his friends, then they would have less chance to get away.

"Don't worry, Joey! We're not that dumb. The guards have no clue we lured them away. So we are safe now." Tea said and winked. They didn't lure the guards away by themselves; they simply threw some rocks Tea picked up in the garden in the opposite direction in the hallway. Then, they pretended to be frightened and said they wanted to go back to the room. As simple as that.

"So, we'll go back to our room now. Remember, we'll meet again here during midnight, sharp. Tea and I will go first, you follow close behind. When you see it's safe, bring Mai with you and flee through the northern side gate. If something's not right, run for your life. We'll be covering for you. Once you get out of the castle, go towards the northern mountains. Tea and I will catch up to you." Yami explained. He had been observing the castle ever since Pegasus confined them here. He knew most of the places they could hide.

"And Joey… If you didn't see us after two days, don't come back for us. Save Mai first and go back to Yami Kingdom. Find some help from Yugi, and then come back for us." Tea said calmly. From the moment they decided to help Joey out, they were prepared to get caught by Pegasus. But that won't stop them from helping their friends out!

"…" Joey opened his mouth but nothing came. He knew Tea was right. He couldn't help much by himself, so he should go back and find Yugi first. "Fine." He finally managed to utter.

"Get some rest, then. We'll meet here at midnight." Yami said. Then, he opened the door only an inch wide, peeked into the hallway, saw that the coast was clear, waved at Tea, and they sneaked back into their room swiftly and quietly…

* * *

Tea and Yami got back to their room in one piece. Tea let out a sigh of relieved and collapsed on the sofa. Her heart was jumping so wildly when they snuck around. She had never done any sneaking in her life! She was so afraid of being caught, yet with Yami, she miraculously felt save. 

Yami sat down next to Tea. His heart was beating uncontrollably too. For god's sake, he's a king! He had never sneaked around before, ever. But for his friends Joey and Mai, he had to be courageous and carry out the plan. "Are you all right, Tea?" Yami asked with concern. Tea looked like she just had a heart attack or something.

"I'm fine… A bit scared about getting caught, that's all." Tea answered. She rested her head on Yami's shoulder and sighed comfortably. "Yami, I…" Tea wanted to confess her feelings for Yami, but the words were stuck in her throat. Her cheeks started blushing.

Yami looked into Tea's beautiful azure eyes. He saw affection in her eyes, then a happy smile appeared on his face. He liked Tea so much, but he used to hide his feelings because of fear of rejection. But now, it was time to tell Tea how he felt too.

"Tea, I… love you." Yami mumbled. For once, his cheeks also had a light blush. He had never confessed his feelings to anyone before. It felt strange, yet it felt so good after he let those words free from his heart.

Tea gasped, but her gasp was quickly swallowed by Yami as he leaned down and claimed her lips. Just when things started to get heat up a little, a knock on the door broke them apart. Tea sat on one end of the sofa, blushing madly and lowering her head, while Yami stood up and walked over to open the door in his cool composure, as if nothing happened in the room.

A young woman stood in the hallway. The guards were back too. She had long black hair, and wore the millennium necklace on her neck. Yami stared at her, didn't know who she was. She walked in and Yami closed the door.

"Let me introduce myself first. I'm Ishizu Ishtar, the high priestess of Duelist Kingdom." She held out her hand towards Yami.

"Hi." Yami replied and shook her hand, still confused why she was here. "May we… help you in some way?" It felt awkward since they didn't really know each other.

"I don't exactly approve of what my lord, King Pegasus, was doing recently. He had gone a bit psychotic ever since his lover Cecilia died. I apologize for his actions." Ishizu said with a friendly smile. She had decided, she must stop Pegasus's madness! Only by stopping him will she be able to help him.

"So… why are you telling us these?" Tea asked suspiciously, not trusting Ishizu since she's Pegasus's high priestess.

"I've seen visions of your escape." Ishizu said firmly. She had seen them escaping in her vision, which was granted to her by the millennium necklace.

Tea gasped, and Yami's eyes went wide. She had saw through their plans? What if she turns around and reports them to Pegasus? Tea looked at Yami to see what they should do now. Tie her down or bribe her not to tell on them?

"Relax. I can help. I don't want Pegasus to hurt any more people. He had done enough! I should have decided to stop him earlier, then that tragic event wouldn't have happened to Sere-…" Ishizu stopped herself. She couldn't reveal that sad truth to them right now. Not right now.

Ishizu blamed herself. Yes, she had seen the vision of Serenity falling into the chimney-like structure… She had a vision way before the tragedy happened. If she was brave enough, Serenity would have been fine. Even though she didn't know Serenity, but she felt so bad she died to help Kaiba. Her death was indirectly linked with Pegasus.

"What tragic event? Happened to whom?" Yami asked, suspicious why she stopped mid-sentenced.

"Pegasus had kidnapped Kaiba's little brother Mokuba. He had taken Mokuba's soul with his millennium eye. Also, Pegasus' millennium eyes allowed him to read minds. So try not to bump into him before your escape, otherwise he'll see through your plans." Ishizu changed the subject and warned them.

Again, Tea gasped in fear. It was too scary! If someone had the power to read all your thoughts… Then you'll be almost invisible in front of him! Even your most private thoughts would be revealed! Then her thought drifted to Kaiba's little brother's soul being taken. That was horrible! That was so sick! Separating the soul from the body? Let alone Mokuba was probably still a kid, since Kaiba was probably only about eighteen years old!

"Should we help Mokuba?" Yami inquired Ishizu, then looking at Tea. He saw Tea nodded desperately, feeling sorry for Mokuba.

"You can. But, Pegasus still must release his soul. Otherwise, you'll only be rescuing a soulless body that cannot move and think." Ishizu said sadly. She had visited Mokuba everyday, and felt so sorry for him.

"We should get Mokuba out anyway, and then think of other ways to get back his soul!" Tea exclaimed. She couldn't watch a kid get his soul deprived from his body, that's too cruel! "Yami, don't you agree? Mokuba is Kaiba's little brother after all, and Serenity is with Kaiba now. We should help Mokuba out." Tea pleaded. They didn't notice a wave of guilt of sorrow shot through Ishizu's eyes at the mention of Serenity.

"Tea's right." Yami said. "We'll first go rescue Mokuba, then help cover up for Joey and Mai."

"No. After taking Mokuba, I'll lure the guards away. I'll also leave the northern side gate clear for your use. Take Mokuba and escape together with Joey and Mai." Ishizu said.

"How about you?" Tea asked in surprise. "What if Pegasus catch you?" She would hate to let others sacrifice for them.

"Don't worry about me. He won't hurt me. We knew each other for a long time. I'll stay here." Ishizu assured them with determination.

"No, come with us!" Yami suggested.

"I can't. I won't. I'll stay here and be by his side." Ishizu said firmly. She couldn't go, not just because her little brother Marik was here, but there's something else in her heart that prevented her from leaving.

Yami and Tea saw her feelings. They understood why she insisted on staying behind. If Ishizu was sure, then they have nothing else to say. Yami and Tea exchanged a look. "We understand." Yami uttered.

"Good. I'll take you down to the cell where Mokuba is half an hour before midnight. Tea, you stay here until we get back. Then, go find Joey and Mai, and go." Ishizu said. "Until then, get some rest. You'll need it. It's a long way to the northern mountains." She smiled friendly at them and then left the room.

Yami and Tea's eyes locked. They had to be prepared for the run for tonight. No mistakes can be made; otherwise Mai's life would be in danger! Yami went back to the sofa and pulled Tea into his arms. They both closed their eyes for a quick nap. Tonight will be a long night for sure…

* * *

**Note:** Chapter 22 finished. Kaiba and Serenity will not appear for a while. They'll probably come out in chapter 24, but definitely not the next chapter. A little hint at the next chapter: Yami and the gang will make the escape and run for their lives! It's going to be really exciting! 


	23. The Nerveracking Getaway Part I

**Disclaimer: **This is a fact – I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor do I own the characters. This is also a fact – I love puppies!

**Note:** I haven't been able to update anything for a while because college started. I feel like I'm living in an isolated place. Everyday it's just studying, reading, going to classes, or eating. That is all! No time for t.v., no time for internet, nothing. But then again, maybe I'm just not use to college life yet.

Anyway, I finally found a tiny bit of time to type this. Yay! Now presenting to grand escape from Pegasus's eerie castle! Enjoy! And thanks for the reviews! They made me happy!

* * *

**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 23

The Nerve-racking Getaway (Part I)

* * *

Ishizu sat on her bed. She has been sitting there for the whole day. Looking out, she saw the sun had already set, darkness bestowed upon mankind. Her room was embedded in darkness too. She was about to betray her lord, Pegasus, by helping Yami, Joey, Mai, and Tea escape from here. Part of her wanted to be loyal to Pegasus, but part of her knew the right thing to do would be to help Mai out. She couldn't bear seeing another innocent person getting hurt by Pegasus. Her mind was all in turmoil, but one thing that stood out was that she must intervene what Pegasus had been doing. She must! It would be the least she could do anyway… She was as guilty as Pegasus, perhaps even guiltier, because she didn't do anything even though she had seen the vision of Serenity's death.

Ishizu stared blankly at the clock. It was almost time to carry out the plan she stated to Yami and Tea. She would stay after they escaped. She didn't know what would become of her. She didn't know how furious Pegasus might get. She didn't know what her punishment would be. Her millennium necklace didn't show anything about her future to her. Basically, she had no knowledge of her own future. Would Pegasus kill her out of rage? She hoped not. She hoped he still maintain some of his sanity. She hoped he hasn't completely gone mad yet.

Ishizu took a slow glance of her room. It was time to go and stop Pegasus, by first helping Yami and his friends escape, especially because of Mai. She knew if they find the cure in time, Mai would definitely survive. Therefore, it was clear what path she must take—to let them free of Pegasus's evil grasp.

She had nothing to worry about, even after being caught by Pegasus betraying him. She wasn't afraid what he would do to her. However, there was still one person she was extremely worried about—his little brother Marik. She could only hope that Pegasus wouldn't direct his anger towards Marik. That was one main reason she didn't dare let Marik know what she planned to do.

The time finally arrived. Ishizu stood up, walked over the door, and placed her hand on the doorknob. She lowered her head, and whispered, "This is the least I can do." Then, when she raised her head again, there was no hesitation, no guilt, no pain, only calmness. She, too, was good at hiding her feelings from others, just like Seto Kaiba.

Ishizu opened the door. The hallway was clear, except for a few guards patrolling there. They bowed at Ishizu with respect and then continued on with their duties, without any suspicions of her. She walked into the garden towards the northern side gate, and cleared out the guards there. Then, she came back into the castle, strolling down towards Yami and Tea's room…

* * *

In a silent room, the mood was quite awkward and tense. Tea had been staring out the window towards the northern mountain ever since she woke up from her short nap. It was clear that she was very uneasy about the upcoming escape. She didn't even talk to Yami, not even a word.

Yami, on the other hand, had been sitting quietly on the sofa. He was frowning while deep in thought, also tense about their escape, wondering if they would be caught. Not only that, he even started to ponder would Pegasus raise a war just because of their escape? Pegasus seemed quite cruel and creepy to him.

Footsteps approached their room. The quietness of the room made those footsteps very clear to them. Tea immediately ran towards Yami, as if any little thing could scare her to death easily. Yami held onto Tea's shoulder and stared at the door, wondering if it was Ishizu coming to help them out.

"High Priestess!" The voice of the guards outside of the door greeted out loud.

"Open the door and leave us. The lord gave an order for me to bring them to him. He wants to talk to them." Ishizu's calm voice swayed faintly into the room.

"Yes, Priestess Ishizu!" The guards' loud voices were heard once more. Then, footsteps indicated the guards' departure. All was quiet again.

_Knock. Knock._ Ishizu knocked the door softly. Tea had relaxed a bit after knowing it was Ishizu who came, not Pegasus, otherwise their plans would have been busted. She went and opened the door.

Ishizu just stood there in the hallway. "It's time, Yami." She said calmly without showing much of her emotions, even though her brain was in turmoil right now. Her only goal was to save Mokuba and help them flee.

Yami nodded. There was no fear in his eyes, only determination. He hugged Tea tightly and whispered in her ears, "Stay here, Tea. Don't leave until I come back with Mokuba."

"I know… Be careful." Tea whispered too. She was already worried about Yami way before he actually begins their plans. She hugged him tightly and then let him go. She would pray for his safety, until he gets back with Mokuba. Then, their grand escape would begin, even scarier than just sneaking underground to "rob" Mokuba from the cell.

Yami quickly let go of Tea and went outside. Tea closed the door and locked it. She slid down to the floor and just sat there. The room somehow became a lot frightening without Yami in here. It was probably her own imagination, feeling lonely and unsafe in this dangerous castle.

"Be careful, Yami." Tea whispered to herself. She closed her eyes and began praying for Yami, and for all of them to be able to get out of here safely…

* * *

In the quiet hallway, Ishizu walked fearlessly with Yami following her. The only clue that gave away her tenseness was her slightly pale lips. Along the way, the patrolling guards greeted them without any suspicions at all.

It was extremely quiet, and so they walked carefully to not make too much noise. Ishizu led Yami down the hallway with several twist and turns, down a dark stairway, then pass the empty cells. Finally, they got to the end of the cells, where Mokuba was.

There was no guards at all, probably because Pegasus figured Mokuba had no soul, so there was no way that little brat could escape. He didn't think anyone would dare to save Mokuba, because there would be a huge price one has to pay for betraying him: Death!

Yami looked into the cell, but couldn't see too clearly because of the darkness in the cell. All he could make out was a small frame lying on the bed. Ishizu took out a set of keys and opened the cell door. They went into the small cell without saying anything.

When Yami got close to the bed, he gasped. He finally was able to see Mokuba, Kaiba's little brother. Mokuba's eyes were wide opened, staring at the ceiling, but without any emotions. His violet eyes were empty. There truly was no soul in this poor little boy's body! How cruel was Pegasus to detach the soul from the body!

"How could he do this to a little boy?" Yami's voice trembled, both out of shock and out of anger. He quickly picked Mokuba's body up from the bed. The boy still didn't move, like a mindless doll.

"He… didn't mean to… He used to be nice, until that day, his fiancée Cecilia got killed… Then, revenge lurked in his heart, poisoning his thoughts… So, please forgive him… even though what he had done cannot be compensated… If he can just wake up from all of these and forget about the revenge… if he can just wake up…" Ishizu's voice declined into a painful whisper at the end of her disclosure.

"Unforgivable!" Yami gritted his teeth. Even if Pegasus suffered because of the death of her fiancée, he still shouldn't hurt a little kid. "Pegasus chose the path of revenge, he chose his own downfall! How can you ask for others to forgive such a man?" Yami grunted furiously and walked out of the cell without Ishizu.

"I know this is selfish…" Ishizu mumbled. "But it was Gozaburo Kaiba who **murdered** his fiancée Cecilia, my best friend! Because that jerk lust for Cecilia's beauty yet couldn't get her! He even tried to rape Cecilia!" Ishizu yelled to Yami. He froze, because Pegasus's revenge was directed towards the Kaiba, not just randomly targeting a little boy.

"But that still cannot excuse him of such cruel action. Mokuba is just a child." Yami said, with his back facing Ishizu. "For instance, you didn't succumb to the darkness, didn't succumb to revenge and hatred. He shouldn't blame Mokuba for what Gozaburo did."

"He loved Cecilia deeply… If… if Gozaburo **purposely **murdered Tea, how would you feel?" Ishizu questioned softly. "Would you not want revenge?"

Yami was quiet. He didn't answer her. His head was lowered and his body was still frozen on the spot, unable to move. His heart ached at the thought of Tea purposely being murdered by someone he heard was extremely cruel, even crueler than Seto Kaiba. He would never forgive that murderer if that person really did kill Tea! Yami gasped. He suddenly seemed to understand why Pegasus was so… creepy and cruel. Pegasus had shut himself in; because of hatred, he wanted revenge on the Kaibas.

"I will never forgive that person, and will avenge my beloved one. But still… what Gozaburo did have nothing to do with Mokuba or Kaiba. Pegasus shouldn't direct his anger at the Kaiba brothers." Yami reasoned.

"We all understand this moral. But… when that tragedy really occurs, who would be able to think and act rationally? Who wouldn't blame on others? Especially he couldn't get revenge on Gozaburo, because Seto Kaiba defeated that old man? He had no place to release his anger… He had no target to avenge the death of his beloved fiancée…" Ishizu explained sadly.

Yami didn't say anything anymore. He understood sometimes a person would lose all his control under that circumstance. Even he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to think rationally and not blame on the Kaiba brothers if he were to be in Pegasus's position. But still, he couldn't justify for Pegasus's heartless actions also.

"Let's go… Tea's still waiting for us. Joey and Mai are relying on you too." Ishizu broke the uneasiness around them. Hopefully their argument wasn't too loud to alert the guards or even worse, Pegasus himself.

Ishizu walked pass Yami silently and led the way back to Tea's room. They had to be careful now, since they can never be seen by the guards while Yami was carrying Mokuba in his arms.

"We have to be careful not to let anyone see us." Ishizu reminded Yami on their way towards to stairway. Yami just nodded in silent. He felt sympathy towards Pegasus and his deceased fiancée.

Yami and Ishizu sneaked through the hallways, always making sure the coast was clear before turning a corner or continued on. Luckily, they didn't see any guards at all. They got back to Tea's room in unharmed.

"Yami!" Tea quickly ran towards them. She noticed the empty stares of Mokuba, which freaked her out a lot. "Poor child…" Tea said while patting Mokuba's head. Of course, Mokuba did not react at all. Tea didn't notice the uneasiness between Yami and Ishizu.

"Let's hurry. Get to Joey and go. I've already cleared out the northern side gate. Just be careful on your way there. I'll be luring any other guards if we see them on the way. Good luck." Ishizu said. She was about to go into the hallway again when Tea stopped her.

"Ishizu? Thanks for helping us. Do you… have you seen if our escape is successful in your vision?" Tea asked meekly. It would make her feel a lot better if Ishizu's vision showed that they all escaped safely.

"No… I'm sorry. All I can see if you guys are escaping… I can't see the result most of the time, but sometimes I can…" Ishizu answered regretfully. Even she didn't know exactly how the millennium necklace works. Perhaps all these visions had meanings, but she didn't know.

"Oh…" Tea said, a bit worried.

"Don't worry Tea, I'll protect you. I'll make sure you won't get hurt." Yami tried to relieve Tea's fear. However, he couldn't guarantee that they will all be able to escape safely. All he could promise was not to let Tea get hurt.

"Let's not waste any more time." Ishizu announced. She opened the door and started walking towards Joey and Mai's room. There seemed to be no guards around anymore. Perhaps the guards were all being lazy and stopped patrolling. But things somehow seemed too quiet, too easy…

* * *

In another also very quiet room, Joey sat on the sofa facing the door quietly. Mai was in his arms, head resting against his chest. Her face was still very pale, if not, paler. Her eyes were still tightly shut, hiding her charming violet orbs. Joey gently brushed a few blonde locks behind her ear. He was getting ready to flee from this peculiar and uncomfortable place. Joey's heart was racing; he must be able to flee safely! That would be his only option. The only way to help his beloved Mai.

_Knock, knock._ Two soft knocks pulled Joey back from his thoughts. He quickly cradled Mai into his arms and walked over to the door. He had a serious expression on his face, which was rare, since he usually liked to joke around. He opened the door with one hand, which was hard considering he had to carry Mai with one arm.

"Are we ready to go?" Joey asked succinctly, not wasting any of their precious time to escape.

"Yes, Joey. The coast is clear here. Let's go." Yami answered with a serious look on his face too.

"Joey… remember, Mai is your priority, not us." Tea reminded him that if they got caught, don't come back for them until he healed Mai first.

"… I know…" Joey said reluctantly with a frown. He understood, but it would be hard to leave his friends behind, especially leave them in the hands of that lunatic Pegasus.

"And who is she?" Joey pointed towards Ishizu, suspicious of her intentions.

"This is Ishizu, high priestess of Duelist Kingdom. But don't worry, she wants to help." Yami assured Joey.

"Fine." Joey mumbled, not caring too much for who that woman was. All he wanted to do was get the hell out of here.

They ran towards a corner and stopped. Ishizu poked her head out to observe. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful. There was not a single person there, not even one guard. This felt awfully strange to Ishizu, but there was no time to think too much about this. She waved her hand, signaling that they can continue.

Joey followed right after Ishizu, with Mai in his arms. Yami held Tea's hand tightly as they followed Joey. Tea looked around while running. The hallway was definitely a bit too quiet. All she could see was they ran passed one door after another towards the next corner of the hallway. Tea turned her head around, just to make sure no one sees them.

A terrified gasp escaped Tea's mouth. Her azure eyes widened in shock and in fear. Was it someone that she saw hiding behind a wall just now? Were they being followed? No, she must warn others about this!

"Yami! There's someone behind us!" Tea whispered to Yami, as to not let the followers hear her.

Yami gasped too. He turned his head around while continue dashing forward, but he didn't see anything. However, they still needed to be careful.

"Go with Joey. I'll go check it out!" Yami said and then he gave Tea a push. Tea stumbled a little forward. All she saw was Yami dashing back to where they came from, and disappeared at the turn of the corner! Tea stopped running. She turned towards Joey, but saw that they were moving forward, getting farther and farther away from her.

"No, don't go!" Tea murmured. She had a feeling that if Yami went back to check it out, he wouldn't make it out of here with them!

Suddenly, the hallway seemed so long… Joey headed north, but Yami headed south. She was left all alone in the middle of the hallway, abandoned. Tea shook her head. No, no one abandoned her. She had to make up her mind, whether to escape with Joey, or go help Yami. She didn't have time to inform Joey and Ishizu when she abruptly turned around and headed towards where Yami had went.

One of the doors in the middle of the hallway unexpectedly opened. A man dressed in red suit with long silver hair walked out with a wicked smile on his face.

"Ha ha ha… You think you can escape from here so easily? I don't think so." Pegasus gritted his teeth. "Think you can deceive me? Guess again!" His face turned into a twisted scowl. He had accidentally bumped into one of the guards earlier, or rather, that stupid guard bumped into him. He read from that guard's eyes that Ishizu had sent them away from his "guest's" room. Just one glance, he realized Ishizu must be helping his "guests" escape.

"Ishizu… You betrayed me… and there is only one result of being a traitor… DEATH!" Pegasus gritted his teeth furiously…

* * *

Ishizu and Joey reached the next corner. Again, they stopped. Ishizu poked her head out, waved her hand, and they made a run for it. They continued this for a couple more corners.

"We're almost there. After we get out of this castle into the garden, there is only about a quarter of a mile until we reach the northern side gate!" Ishizu informed Joey and the others, since she thought everyone was still following her.

"That's great! We're gonna make it, Yami!" Joey continued dashing forward. After a while, no one replied. Suspicious, Joey turned around and saw that there was no one behind him. "Yami? Tea? Where'd everyone go?" Joey asked with terror. Oh no! Had they been followed? Had Pegasus gotten his grip on Yami and Tea already? How come he didn't even hear anything? How come he didn't notice that his friends were gone?

"Ishizu… Yami and Tea aren't following us…" Joey whispered regretfully to Ishizu.

Ishizu gasped. She turned her head around, and indeed, saw no one behind Joey. "No…" Ishizu mumbled. Pegasus… did he saw through their plans already. Shaking her head, she continued striking forward. "The least you can do, Joey… is to get out of here successfully! I'll go back and get them. I will, I promise." Ishizu promised.

"… Okay…" That was all Joey managed to utter. He focused his attention on running, and a fire burned in his eyes.

The door was in front of them. Just a couple of steps, then they would be able to get out of this building and into the garden! Just a couple more seconds! Ishizu reached out to push the door open just when a few guards appeared in front of them!

Ishizu and Joey both gasped, quickly made a stop and decided to turn right towards the previous corner into the next hallway. But Marik blocked the way with other guards.

"Marik!" Ishizu's eyes widened. Her little brother… he was ordered to hunt her down? To block her?

"Ishizu!" Marik seemed equally surprised. He received an order from Pegasus earlier that the guests were going to escape. His mission was to stop them, to block them, to capture them. But he didn't expect to see his sister helping the guests to escape!

The guards were closing in on Joey and Ishizu. Marik just stood there dumbfounded. Did his sister really betray their lord? Why would she do such a disgraceful thing? His sister always told him to be loyal, and never betray! Then how come she…?

"Marik! Please… Pegasus doesn't know what he's doing! Let Joey and Mai go! Or she will die! I'll try to get Pegasus to wake up, so please, I didn't betray him, I'm just trying to help him!" Ishizu's voice reached Marik. His violet eyes widened and got pull out of his shock.

Marik was confused. He hesitated about what he should do for a second, but quickly made up his mind. He raised his hand and pointed the sword at Joey… Ishizu gasped, not expecting Marik to disobey her, let alone she already tried to explain to him what was going on.

"An order is an order." Marik said coldly.

"No… no Marik…" Ishizu whispered. Maybe she should have clued him in. Maybe she should have told him about the changed Pegasus earlier so he would understand the right thing to do now would be to stop Pegasus's madness in order to save him!

Joey, on the other hand, just glared at Marik. He didn't know who that guy with light blonde hair was, but it didn't matter. One way or another, he will bust out of this castle with Mai! No one will be able to stop him!

Marik raised the sword and swing it towards Joey—

"No, Marik, you're making a mistake!" Ishizu's yell pierced the whole castle. She closed her eyes, couldn't bear to see her little brother strike an innocent person, Joey. After what seemed like an eternity, Ishizu opened her eyes.

She saw the guards were all knocked out, lying on the floor, unconscious. Joey, on the other hand, had already opened the door to the garden. The northern side-gate was not too far from them. Ishizu, confused, turned and looked at Marik.

There was a smile on Marik's face. "Come on, sis! Let's go!" Marik walked over and grabbed Ishizu's hand.

"Marik? What… happened?" Ishizu asked insecurely. She thought Marik was truly going to hurt Joey and obey Pegasus's order.

"What? You really think I'm going to hurt my own sister? Besides, I have eyes, you know. I can see Pegasus had changed. Back there, I was just a bit confused about the situation, that's all." Marik smiled warmly at Ishizu.

"Oh… Marik! … Thanks…" Ishizu said, deeply touched that her little brother cared so much for her.

So Ishizu dashed towards the northern side-gate through the garden. Joey followed right behind her with Mai now on his back. Marik was keeping watch behind Joey. Guards jumping out suddenly from behind the trees and bushes, and surrounded them. It seemed hopeless, as if they would sure fail to escape.

"Go ahead! I'll block them!" Marik pointed towards the gate. "I'll be fine, sis." The guards started to close in on them. "Go!"

Ishizu hesitated, but picked up her pace once again. Now Marik was helping them… She was really worried… When Pegasus found out that not just her, but Marik too, had "betrayed" him, what would happen to both of them? If it was just her, then she would accept whatever was to come. But not Marik too… Ishizu shook her head to get rid of her depressed thoughts. She had to concentrate on her task: to get Joey and Mai out of here! Immediately!

They started running again, occasionally dodging the guards. Gradually, the guards were left behind and they were almost to the gate.

"We're almost there, Mai." Joey mumbled to the unconscious Mai. "We will make it. I know we will."

Finally, after running for what seemed like an eternity, they reached the side-gate. There was no more guards close to them. Ishizu quickly pushed open the gate. Joey ran out and stopped, looking back, hoping to see if Yami and Tea were possibly be coming too.

"Go, Joey. I'll go back and get them." Ishizu promised. That was the least she could do to compensate for her mistake of letting Serenity die. No matter how much she does now, she could never be forgiven.

After looking at Ishizu for a while, Joey nodded with a serious face. He would come back for them, after he saved Mai first. It was a hard decision, but Mai's condition forced him to flee first, to save her first.

"You should come with us… I mean, once you went back for Yami, Tea, and your brother." Joey persuaded. He wanted to see her safe too, because she did help him out.

"Be careful. I'm afraid there might be traps along the way on your journey to the northern mountain since Pegasus seemed to found out about your escape. This is all I can do. Good luck." Ishizu said. She heard people running towards them, probably the guards. Swiftly, she had already closed the gate, shutting Joey from the castle.

Joey stood facing the castle gate. He made it out! But Yami and Tea were still in there… Ishizu, such a kind woman who helped them, and they didn't even know her that well, and her brother too. They were all still in that castle. He was outside. They were separated by thick walls.

He turned around and started walking towards to north. He had a much more important task at hand than to be too worried about his friends. That would only slow him down and makes him lose focus.

"Not to worry, Mai. They'll be find, and I'll come back to get them." Joey promised Mai, and more importantly, promised himself…

* * *

**Note:** Phew, finished this chapter. I hope it's exciting. So Joey got out of Pegasus's castle with Mai. Yami and Tea were still trapped in the castle somewhere. Ishizu and Marik were probably fighting guards. Joey also had a long journey in front of him…

Okay, so a hint of next chapter? Let's see… You'll find out what happened to Yami and Tea! Possible appearance of Seto Kaiba and Serenity Wheeler too! Hooray, they're back! But you must be wondering, isn't Serenity dead? Well, you'll find out more in the future. (Hint: This is, after all, part of the supernatural genre too.)

So, I have no idea when I'll be able to get in another chapter. I must first adjust to college life. I've been really busy lately. So, hopefully I can find some time within a month… but I can't promise anything. Sorry.


	24. The Nerveracking Getaway Part II

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. But, I own a couple of stuffed animals, wheee!

**Note:** I think I'm more used to college now, that's good news. But, there are still tons of readings and many tests (--)… I also kind of want to update my other stories, but just couldn't help it that the one story I really really want to update is this one… Feel so bad about not updating other stories…

Enough with my rants. Thanks for the reviews! And now presenting the second part of the grand escape. Enjoy!

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* * *

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**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 24

The Nerve-racking Getaway (Part II)

* * *

Tea ran towards the direction they had come from, and turned a corner swiftly. She had to catch up to Yami. She didn't want him to face the enemies all by himself. Plus, was he crazy? Dashing off all by himself, and the soul-less Mokuba was still on Yami's back? 'You better be all right, Yami!' Tea yelled silently in her mind.

Tea's blue orbs scanned the hallway in front of her eyes. There were no traces of Yami. There was no one there, at least not one that she could see. Her heartbeat started speeding out of fear. A hallway without any one somehow seemed very eerie.

"Where are you?" Tea mumbled and leaned over a wall to support herself. The castle was so huge, so many hallways like a maze… How could she find him? She couldn't risk calling out to him, that would only reveal her location to the guards. "Calm down, Tea, calm down." Tea mumbled again to avoid panicking, but it wasn't very helpful. She was all alone now, Joey and Ishizu ran off without her, and Yami was somewhere in the castle still.

"Over there! Over there! Catch him!" Faint voices coming from the faraway corner. Tea froze hearing those voices. That seemed like the yelling of guards. Following the voices came footsteps stepping away at a quick pace. Seemed like there were a lot of guards running or chasing after this person.

Tea covered her mouth with her hands to prevent her from gasping out too loud. Her azure eyes filled with fear. Could Yami be spotted by the guards already? If the guards spotted him, then he must be in danger now. "I have to find him now!" Tea encouraged herself to keep going. She took a deep breathe, and then ran off towards the direction the yelling came from.

Tea panted lightly for running. Stopping near a staircase, she hid herself behind a wall. Shadows of guards running appeared on the wall because of candles lit around the castle. Tea stayed motionless until the guards ran off to some other directions. She didn't hear any yelling anymore. Perhaps Yami got away? Hopefully that would be the case. Otherwise, it probably means that Yami got caught.

Tea poked her head out to see if it was safe to go. She came out into the quiet hallway. Suddenly, a hand reached over Tea's shoulder and covered her mouth, preventing her from screaming. Tea jumped, a wave a panic washed over her brain. She tried to scream, but her voice couldn't come out. She started struggling, waving her hands randomly to get away from her 'kidnapper.'

"Shh it's me, Tea." A low voice whispered at Tea's ear. She recognized this voice. It was Yami! Thank god he was all right! She stopped struggling and wanted to turn around. But Yami continued to cover her mouth with his hand and pulled her into a nearby room. He let go once he shut the door silently.

When Yami turned around to look at Tea, she already jumped into his arms giving him a big bear hug. He could feel Tea trembling a little. He patted her back to soothe her fear. The room was dark, so he couldn't see Tea's expressions on her face.

"Don't you ever run off like that again!" Tea whispered, trying to sound angry, but instead her voice was shaky. She wanted to chide him for pushing her away and running into danger himself, but she couldn't say anything. She was way too glad the guards didn't catch Yami.

"I'm sorry, Tea… I just want you to make sure you and Joey are not in danger of getting caught…" Yami explained in his calming voice. He had to admit, he was a bit rash when he ran back to check if anyone was following them.

"Then we can go together! I don't want you to be facing the danger all by yourself!" Tea continued to try to sound angry, but to no avail. "We can face whatever is to come… together!" Tea said firmly.

"But I don't want you to be in danger…" Yami said, clutching onto Tea's back a little more tightly. He wouldn't forgive himself if anything were to happen to Tea. All he wanted to do was to protect her and get her out of Pegasus's creepy castle safely.

"I don't want you to be in danger too…" Tea declared determinedly. Who would want the person they loved to be in danger? No one would, and she was no exception.

Tea continued to hold onto Yami, enjoying the warmth of his body. She felt so safe and protected in his arms. A satisfied smile appeared on her face. The fear she felt previously had all disappeared miraculously. Yami also felt satisfied holding onto Tea. At least he knew she was safe with him at that moment, and that alone was enough for him to be grateful.

An image of a little boy popped into Tea's head. She quickly let go of Yami and looked around the dark room. But her eyes were still not used to the dark, and hence couldn't see anything.

"What's wrong, Tea?" Yami asked, concerned about her behavior.

"Where's Mokuba?" Tea asked in confusion. "When you ran off, Mokuba was still on your back, no?"

"Yes, that's correct." Yami answered with an amused look on his face. Was Tea always so concern for others all the time?

"Where is he now?" Tea questioned, didn't see the amused expression on Yami's face. She extended her arms out and tried to fumble along the wall to see if Mokuba might be sitting on the floor.

"He's right over there, at the corner." Yami pointed his finger at the corner. Tea's eyes had finally gotten used to the darkness of the room, so she looked over to the corner. She saw a little frame sitting on the floor, motionless.

Tea was about to make her way over to Mokuba when Yami grabbed her hand. He pulled her back into his arms and sat Tea down on the sofa. Tea gasped, there was sofa in the room? What was this room used for, then?

Yami seemed to understand Tea's confused look in her eyes. "This is probably a guest room, but I doubt anyone would come visit Pegasus. What a pity." Yami explained. He sat down next to her and let her head lean on his shoulder. Tea sighed out of comfort; she really didn't pay attention to what Yami said about Pegasus. Who cares about that creep? She closed her eyes ready to take a quick nap. The escaping plan was so exhausting!

Yami suddenly got up the sofa. Tea almost fall off, not expecting her "pillow" (Yami's shoulder) to suddenly move. "Hey! What's that for-" Tea's protest was cut off by Yami's kiss. It was really just a peck on the lips.

When Yami pulled away, Tea was still stunned. She wanted more. She longed to be kissed deeper. But Yami only gave a peck on her lips. Yami lightly caressed her cheeks before whispering, "Now's not the time, Tea." And smirked, as if Tea's thoughts were clearly revealed before him.

Tea blushed, embarrassed that her thoughts were disclosed so easily. That was so embarrassing, letting Yami see that she wanted him to kiss her more… If there was a hole somewhere on the floor, she wouldn't mind hiding in there to avoid dying of embarrassment.

"Get some rest. I don't think we'll be able to escape anytime soon, since the guards seemed to already found out about us trying to escape. The security around the castle now is pretty tight, I'm sure you saw that too when you tried to find me." Yami explained.

"Uh-huh…" Tea couldn't say anything else. Her mind couldn't function correctly since that light kiss Yami gave her. "Um… how about you? You should get some rest too…"

"It's okay. I'll keep watch until morning. We have to come up with some other plans. I just hope Joey make it out with Mai." Yami walked towards a chair near the door. He planned to stay near the door, so it would be easier to hear any changes in the hallway.

"… I'm sure they are safe…" Tea mumbled, trying to assure herself and Yami. Tea started to frown. Now that they were left behind in the castle, and with guards patrolling all around the castle trying to track them down, how could they escape? The night-time was the best time for their escape, but they blew it. In the day-time, it would be even harder to hide from the guards.

"Do you think we'll be able to get out safely?" Tea whispered. She needed some assurance from Yami, otherwise her mind would just go crazy thinking they would never make it.

"Sure we will…" Yami answered, even he was unsure. "Sorry, Tea, it was all my fault. I shouldn't have turned back. If we just keep running, perhaps we already got out of the castle."

"Don't say that… I know you just want us to be safe, you're always so cautious…" Tea mumbled. She was really tired. She closed her eyes, and soon drifted off into her dreams.

The room became quiet again. Yami put his ear against the door. He could hear the guards patrolling in the hallways, perhaps still searching for them. But even if the guards were to search room by room, it would take a while for them to find them, since there were way too many empty rooms in the castle. Within this time, he must come up with a new plan to get them out safely, and as soon as possible. If they were able to escape before dawn, that would be great. But there were only three hours left before dawn. It was now officially a race against time…

* * *

Two guards forcing a captured young man to knell down. He had blonde hair, beautiful violet eyes, and tanned skin. Another guard pointing a sword on the neck of the captured young man. Marik, who was captured while trying to buy time for his sister to help Joey Wheeler escape, stared angrily at the guards who forced him to knell down. He was the head of the guards, how dare his subordinates treat him like a prisoner. Yet, he understood that he had betrayed his king, Pegasus, while trying to help Ishizu.

"Come!" a guard shouted. Marik saw another two guards pulled Ishizu into the lobby. She wasn't even struggling. Ishizu just had her head lowered, as if she already expected to be caught. The guards violently pushed her and she fell onto the ground.

"Hey you! Cut it out! Is that how you treat High Priestess Ishizu?" Marik yelled angrily at the disrespectful guards. "Sis, are you okay?" Marik tried to struggle his way towards his sister, but his action only earned him a punch in his face.

"Hmph. You two are traitors. High Priestess my ass! Ha ha ha" One of the guards blurted out ridiculing them. Marik glared at the guard, trying to kill him with his glares. "Don't you look at me with those looks! Wait until King Pegasus come, and it will be the end for you two. Hmph." The guard gave Marik and Ishizu a scornful looks.

"Leave those two traitors. The rest of you leave." Pegasus's voice arrived as he appeared in person. His voice may sound calm and emotionless, but his eye was definitely giving Marik and Ishizu a chilling glare. Pegasus came into the lobby and sat down on his seat a couple of stairs higher than the floor, looking down at them.

"Is there anything you two would like to explain?" Pegasus asked, barely audible. He didn't take his eyes off Ishizu the whole time, while kind of ignoring Marik.

No one answered. Ishizu was still looking at the floor, as if regretting something. Marik also looked down on the floor. The silence in the room wasn't helping, it only made Pegasus's rage went up in a much faster pace.

"I'm feeling generous to give you two a chance to explain… Or did you have nothing to say before your death?" Pegasus interrogated. A satisfied smile appeared on the corner of his lips when he heard Ishizu's gasp and her shocked expression. "Yes, I did say death. There is only one path for traitors, that is, death." He sounded very casual, like they were just chatting.

"You… wouldn't…" Ishizu managed to whisper. Her eyes were widened out of shock. Pegasus wouldn't actually want to kill her… he wouldn't… They knew each other for a long time. She knew she would be in trouble by helping Joey, Mai, Yami, and Tea escape, but she thought the worse of her punishment was to be cast out of the kingdom forever… Well, if he really wanted her death, she will accept it, but now Marik was involved too…

"Yes I would. Death awaits the traitors." Pegasus said icily, while staring coldly at Ishizu. "… Unless… You give me a reasonable explanation of what you did. Perhaps after that, I will re-consider your punishment, since we do know each other for quite a long time."

"I… wanted you to… snap out of your revenge-game. Stop hurting innocent people like Mokuba and Mai!" Ishizu yelled with all her might. "I don't want to see you like this. Gozaburo was already dead! Cecilia should be able to rest in peace! Serenity already died because of you, now stop this madness!"

_Slap._ Pegasus rushed over to Ishizu and slapped her hard. Rage burned wildly in his brown eye. Ishizu flew a couple of feet over from where she was kneeling. "Don't you dare speak to me like that! It's not enough! Seto Kaiba and Mokuba Kaiba, they must pay, because they are also from the Kaiba family! I won't rest until every single one of the Kaiba is destroyed!"

Ishizu wiped the blood from her lips. Marik had already rushed over to help her up. "But they are adopted, Pegasus. Seto Kaiba and Mokuba Kaiba don't have the blood of that evil Gozaburo Kaiba…" Ishizu said sadly with her eyes closed. She felt so bad for Pegasus. The death of his beloved Cecilia drove him mad. How else could she try to help him?

"It doesn't matter." Pegasus said, regaining his composure. "No one can stop me, not even you, Ishizu. Remember that."

"You really are mad… Sis is right." Marik mumbled under his breathe. He was glad he didn't capture Ishizu, but instead helped her out earlier. Pegasus didn't seem to hear him, or he just didn't respond to Marik's rudeness.

"… Then I have nothing to say… Please, this will be my only time begging anyone, please let Marik go. I forced him to help me. I'll gladly accept my punishment, just let him go…" Ishizu put down her self-esteem for the one and only time, begging Pegasus to let her brother go.

"What are you talking about, Sis?" Marik asked with a horrified look on his face. Ishizu was just going to accept her death for betraying a mad man? That would be the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard of. There's no way he would live without his sister!

"Deal." Pegasus clapped his hand. Two guards came in and dragged Marik away. Marik struggled and yelled at Ishizu, but he still got dragged away with two strong guards. Ishizu watched Marik with worried eyes. Was Pegasus really going to let him go?

"Don't worry, my dear Ishizu. I promise to let Marik go, as long as you accept your punishment." Pegasus roughly grabbed Ishizu's arm and dragged her towards the cell. He couldn't forgive her for betraying him. Never!

Ishizu didn't struggle. She let Pegasus dragged her away. She couldn't see her own future. She couldn't see her brother's future. Neither could she see other people's future. For some strange reason, her millennium necklace had completely ceased to function.

"Any other thing you would like to say?" Pegasus asked, feeling a bit generous toward this traitor.

"No… I'll accept my fate if you are the one who decide the end of my life…" Ishizu mumbled strangely. Her only real regret was that she couldn't finish her task of getting Yami and Tea out of the castle safely. They were still somewhere deep in this castle, yet she had no power to complete her task.

"Very well." Pegasus stopped in front of the cell that was to confine Ishizu until her death. He violently threw her in, showing how angry he was being betrayed by her. Ishizu fell to the ground. She just stayed there without moving.

"And just to let you know. Yami and Tea, I'll get rid of them for trying to disobey my order of not to escape." Pegasus said as he locked the door to the cell.

"No! You can't!" Ishizu yelled, getting up from the floor, but Pegasus turned around and left, ignoring Ishizu's protest. Her voice wasn't able to reach Pegasus anymore…

When Pegasus went back to his library, a guard was already waiting for him. The guard was sweating profusely, with colorless face.

"My lord! A mysterious person had invaded our castle! A lot of guards and soldiers were already died!" The guard reported nervously with shaking voice. Not only was he afraid he might be next to die at the hand of this mysterious person, but he was also afraid of Pegasus's reaction after hearing his report.

"Ha ha ha" Pegasus chuckled darkly. He had a vague idea of who this mysterious invader might be. "So let the game begin!" With that, Pegasus disappeared into his library with a wicked smile…

* * *

"Search every single room! This is Pegasus's order!" Yami snapped out of his sleep when he heard the yelling. Not good, not good! He had accidentally fallen asleep while trying to think up a new plan of escape. He looked out the window and saw that it was already dawn. The sun had already been rising slowly.

"Shit!" Yami cursed under his breathe. He could hear doors being opened and guards busting into other rooms near the room they were in. It would be in a mere couple of minutes before the guards get to their room.

Yami quietly walked towards Mokuba, picked him up, and walked back to Tea. He wobbled Tea lightly to wake her up.

"Tea… Tea, wake up…" Yami whispered quietly. He couldn't afford to let the guards hear him. He softly shook Tea's shoulder.

"Hmm? What is it?" Tea asked with a sleepy voice. She opened her eyes and saw Yami's serious face. "Huh? What's going on? Yami?" She asked, still a bit confused after just waking up.

"The guards are searching room by room. I have to lure them away, otherwise we'll all be in trouble." Yami told Tea his plan. "Watch over Mokuba, and try to escape, with or without me. Just go, okay? I'll be fine."

"No!" Tea clutched onto Yami's arms. She had a bad feeling about this. "No! Let's go together! We'll get out of here together! Don't just think about my safety! I hate that!" Tea whispered strongly.

"Listen to me, Tea. You take Mokuba and find a chance to escape. I'll lure the guards away from you. I promise I'll be fine, I'll find a way to escape." Yami tightened his grasp on Tea's shoulder, trying to make her listen to him. "Stay here for now. Listen to the sounds in the hallway, when it is quiet and safer, run away."

Tea shook her head stubbornly. She couldn't leave Yami behind. She just couldn't do that! What if she left and Yami got killed or something in the castle? She wouldn't forgive herself for surviving at the cost of his life!

"You have to listen to me this time, Tea! Just this one time… Okay?" Yami looked Tea in the eyes. Tea saw determination in Yami's violet eyes, and knew she couldn't change his mind. Tears appeared slightly in her eyes, but she forced them away and nodded her head.

"Okay… promise you'll be fine." Tea desperately searched Yami's eyes for assurance.

"I will. You be careful too." Yami gave her a kiss on her forehead and tucked Mokuba into Tea's arms. He opened the door into a small gap, peeped into the hallway, and suddenly made for the run. Tea put Mokuba onto her back and hid behind the door, listening to the outside.

"Over there!" She heard the guards yelled. Then, footsteps chasing down the hallway and disappearing, along with the shouting. The hallway was now quiet. Tea peeped through the gap of the door, and quickly closed it as she saw some guards running pass the door again. Tea decided to stay in the room for a little longer. She walked quietly towards the window and took a look outside.

Tea gasped. She saw some guards lying in the garden, and there were blood on the grass. What happened? She doubted that Joey or Yami would kill those guards… The situation was getting crazier and crazier…

Just when Tea was about to walk back towards the door, suddenly fire sparkled from the door. The fire danced across the room very fast, burning the sofa, furniture, curtains, and soon she was surrounded by fire. Tea panicked. What the hell? Where did this fire come from? The flames engulfed everything around her in an unbelievable fast pace. The smoke stung her eyes and she began to cough.

"Did you think you can escape?" Came an eerie voice from the door. "Too bad." Tea tried to see who was there, but only saw a vague figure with long silver hair walked away from the door.

"Pega- cough- Pegasus?" Tea coughed. Her eyes wide in disbelieve. He was crazy to this extent as to burn down part of his own castle to kill her?

Tea looked around for a place to escape, but to her disappointment, she was surrounded by fire. "Yami… help me…" Tea mumbled as she kneeled down on the floor. Her mind was getting more and more cloudy. She couldn't think straight anymore because of the smoke…

A buttress collapsed and started falling towards where Tea and Mokuba were. Tea only widened her eyes but couldn't do anything else. She believed she was going to die… But the anticipated pain and burning didn't come. Suddenly, Tea saw a familiar figure appeared before her. This figure had a long white dress on, but strangely, the white dress was tainted with red blood? This figure had long auburn hair, and a beautiful, yet sad, face.

"Get up, Tea. You have to make it out alive." The familiar figure spoke to her in a gentle voice. She had shielded Tea and Mokuba from that falling buttress.

"Se-Serenity?" Tea coughed some more. "Is it my imagination? Why would you be here?" Tea asked, trying to stand up.

A gentle smile appeared on the figure's face. She reached her hand out and helped Tea up. "Yes, it's me, Tea. I'm here to help you." Serenity said.

"What happened… to you? Are those… blood on your dress?" Tea questioned, occasionally coughing. She noticed that Serenity's hand was freezing.

"No time to explain. Believe in me, Tea. I'll help you get out of the fire that surrounded us." Serenity said. She glanced at Mokuba on Tea's back. "Mokuba?" Serenity seemed surprised.

"Yea, it's a long story. Let's get out of here." Tea suggested, but frowned. How could they escape when they were surrounded by fire?

"You'll be fine. In a count of three, I'll send you and Mokuba out of this burning room, okay?" Serenity winked at Tea.

"How about you?" Tea asked in fear. Serenity didn't mention anything about herself! "You'll be able to come out too, right?"

"I'll be fine. I'm no longer afraid of fire… Flames cannot hurt me anymore…" Serenity said with a sad smile. Without hesitation, Serenity pushed Tea, with Mokuba on her back, out of the burning room. Tea watched in fear as Serenity being engulfed by the flames while she was flying out of the room thanks to Serenity's push. And strangely, she flew past the fire without being burned.

Tea landed on the floor in the hallway. A terrified Yami was running towards her. There were other guards there too, but they were too busy putting out the fire that they didn't have time to catch Yami and Tea.

"Are you all right, Tea?" Yami asked with trembling voice. He embraced Tea tightly, afraid that if he lets go, she would be eaten by that fierce fire. "What happened? I was only gone for a few minutes, and when I came back, the room was burning! I thought I was going to lose you…" Yami yelled with a terrified voice.

"Save her, Yami! She's still in there! How can she survive in the room? The room is burning!" Tea shook Yami's shoulder, trying to get Yami to save Serenity.

"Who's in there? Who are you talking about?" Yami asked in confusion. But he quickly dragged Tea and Mokuba farther away from those guards trying to put down the fire. He wouldn't want to get caught after the guards successfully put down the fire.

"Se… Sere…" Tea couldn't say Serenity's name because she was choking on her tears. She watched Serenity got engulfed by fire. How could anyone survive under those conditions? Did Serenity sacrifice herself to save her? No way! She couldn't allow that to happen!

"Did you mean Serenity?" A cold voice suddenly appeared behind Yami and Tea. Both of them gasped and turned around, only to stare into a pair of icy blue eyes.

"Kai-Kaiba?" Yami asked with shock. "Why are you here? And Serenity's here too?"

"Thanks for taking care of my little brother, girl." Seto said coldly to Tea, and grabbed Mokuba from her arms. Seto's expression instantly changed into caring expression when he looked at his brother Mokuba.

"Serenity! Save her!" Tea continued to plead Yami. "She's still in there… She pushed me out… Her hands are so cold…" Tea felt so bad for Serenity. After hearing what Tea said, Yami instantly stood up, ready to rush into the burning room to save Joey's little sister.

"Save it. She's fine." Seto said coldly and turned around. "You two better get out of here before the guards set their eyes on you guys again." With that, he left without any hesitance with his little brother in his arms, and his sword hanging on his waist. The white-jade-dragon-necklace hanging on the handle of his sword.

Tea stared at the white-jade-dragon-necklace swung as Seto walked away. That was Serenity's jade, wasn't it? She showed it to her when she first came back to live with Joey. Yami just helped Tea stand up and was about to follow Seto. They must get out before running into any more troubles.

"Wait, Kaiba! What do you mean Serenity's fine? I saw her! She didn't get out of the room!" Tea yelled, trying to catch up to Kaiba.

Seto just ignored them. Even though he came to kill Pegasus, but now that he found Mokuba's soul-less body, his priority would be to bring Mokuba to a save place first, then come back to get Mokuba's soul and kill that evil Pegasus. As for Serenity, such a painful memory… Seto unconsciously clutched onto his sword with one hand.

"Kaiba! Explain yourself!" Yami also asked. They couldn't just leave if Serenity was still in that burning room.

"I said she's fine!" Seto growled in annoyance. He didn't really want to explain to them what happened to Serenity. Not just yet. His wound in the heart didn't completely heal yet. He wasn't ready to talk about her.

Yami and Tea stared at Seto's back dubiously. But they followed him out of the castle. There were no guards to stop them. Everywhere they passed, there were already guards lying on the floor, died. Yami and Tea couldn't help but wonder what happened to all those guards… Did Kaiba kill them all? Guess they'll find out later when Kaiba decided to tell them…

* * *

**Note:** Yay, finished this chapter! So Yami and Tea also got out of the castle safely. Hooray! And, the appearance of Seto Kaiba and Serenity Wheeler! Yippie! Even though it isn't very clear what happened to Serenity, but you'll find out more soon!

Again, I don't know when I'll be able to update. So, please be patient. Now, review please! Thanks a bunch!


	25. A Spirit Bound to the Sword

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. A simple fact.

**Note:** I haven't updated this for two months. Because it's near the end of the first semester, I've been really busy with tons of papers plus the annoying finals. But, good thing I have a one month winter vacation coming up now that the finals are officially over as of today after 4:00 p.m.! Woo-hoo!

* * *

**The Spirit of the Sword**

Chapter 25

A Spirit Bound to the Sword

* * *

Pure white snow swayed slowly from the unreachable gray sky down to the earth, coating everything in the purest color – white. The ground covered with snow, tree branches covered in snow, frozen-river covered in snow… Everything looked white. The pure snow covered the original ugliness of the world, giving people the illusion of a world rid of evil… 

Half way up the northern mountain, a brown horse trod rapidly through the thick snow. On the horse, two cloaked figure sat together, with one in the arms of another. The purple hood with furs on its trim covered Mai's head, revealing only her pale face and a few blonde strands falling down her face. The blue hood covered Joey's head, keeping him warm. Joey wrapped his strong arms around Mai's waist, keeping her unconscious body in place.

"We're almost there, Mai. We're almost on top of the mountain. I'll find the pure white flower that can cure your poison. I will definitely find it, I promised!" Joey whispered gently into Mai's ears. He had been whispering to her along their journeys to find the cure, hoping that she would hear him and wake up.

No response from Mai, as expected. But still, his heart ached when she didn't respond. That only meant that she was still in danger of dying anytime soon. The poison had been in her body for days. He was so afraid of losing her anytime.

Just last night, after escaping from Pegasus's castle with Mai in his arms, but without his friends Yami and Tea, Joey had no choice but to journey to the northern mountain first with Mai. He promised to go back for his friends after Mai was no longer in danger. He sneaked to a farm and "borrowed" a horse from the farmer. Not that he wanted to steal other people's horse, but he urgently needed a horse. While at the farm, he also opportunely grabbed the two cloaks, hanging outside of the house, that they were wearing now to keep them warm. Luckily, the farmer did not catch them. Hell, the farmer didn't even notice he "borrowed" the horse and the cloaks. The farmer was probably dead asleep in the middle of the night.

Focusing his keen eyes on the grounds, Joey tried really hard to see if he can find the flower that matched the description Kaiba gave him. Mai's life depended on that flower, so he would not be careless and skim through the area only to find out later that he didn't notice the flower on his way up the mountain.

Sighing, his head started to hurt for using too much of his eyes. He had been scanning the grounds and the bushes ever since they reached the bottom of the northern mountain, and it had been a couple of hours past already. His patience was growing thin, even though the possibility of the flower growing at the top of the mountain was high.

Joey scanned in front of him, but couldn't see too far because of the snow blurring everything in front of them. Suddenly, the snow seemed to fall faster and harder. A strong gust of wind blew past them, leaving both of them freezing to death. Mai's purple hood got blown off, so Joey struggled in the strong wind and snow to put it back on her head.

Not a good sign. It seemed like they were walking right into a snow storm. The worse thing is, they were half way up the mountain, in the middle of no where. They would freeze to death and turn into icicles without a place to hide from the approaching snow storm.

"Damn. We might have to find a cave or something… I doubt anyone will live in this place…" He mumbled to himself, abandoning the original search for the white flower, turning his attention to finding a cave for shelter first. He lowered his head and whispered to Mai, "But not to worry, Mai. We'll be all right… At least I hope so…"

The horse trod some more, but seemed to be having a hard time continuing in the snow storm. Snows had been piling up on their shoulders and their hoods. The temperature seemed to have fallen a little too sharply. Just when Joey was about to go back down the mountain for now, he spotted a cavern on the side of the cliff. It wasn't an obvious cave, but they can squeeze in for sure.

Quickly, Joey pulled the strings, changing the direction the horse was heading. They stopped in front of the small opening of the cave. He jumped off the horse and scooped Mai into his arms. Gently brushing off the snow on her hood and her hair, he went into the cave.

The horse followed them, and lay down near the exit. Joey stopped in the deeper part of the cave. He sat down with his back laying on a rock, and held onto Mai's lifeless body. He let her head rest on his shoulder, and put one hand on her waist. His other hand was smoothening Mai's silky blonde hair.

Now all they can do was to wait there in the cave. Wait until the snow storm subsides. Joey frowned. They had no more time to waste sitting here doing nothing! Damn! Mai has no more time! What if something happens while he was sitting in the cave like an idiot, simply waiting for the snow to stop? As much as he liked to continue the search, he couldn't. He can't control the weather! And that was what makes the whole snow storm so frustrating!

Sighing out of frustration, Joey had no choice but to wait patiently…

* * *

With Mokuba in his arms, Seto Kaiba walked out of Pegasus castle without any obstacles since he had killed all of the guards blocking his way into the castle. Behind him was Yami and Tea, hand in hand. Once at the front gate of the castle, Seto flipped onto a white horse waiting for him. With Mokuba secured in front of him, he was about to leave when a voice stopped him. 

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? What about us?" Tea yelled out angrily to Seto. "Don't you have another horse or something that we can ride too? How are we suppose to-"

"Be quiet, girl!" Seto said harshly, annoyed with Tea's whiny voice. He reluctantly glared at Tea and Yami.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Tea was about to run over and slap Kaiba with her hand. She was already feeling terrible from all the troubles Pegasus gave them, and now another arrogant jerk was yelling at her. A great day she's having.

"Calm down, Tea." Yami pulled her back from dashing to hit Kaiba. "She's right, Kaiba. We need to leave as soon as possible too."

"That's too bad. I don't have an extra horse, and frankly, I don't think all three of us can ride on one horse." Seto said, stating the obvious and giving them a look implying they were too stupid to figure that out.

"What is that look you're giving us?" Tea yelled, angry at the attitude Kaiba was treating them with.

"It's not my fault I only have one horse. How am I supposed to know you two are here? Plus, I thought you and your mutt friend are going to the Northern Mountain to look for the cure?" Seto said apathetically with a scowl. "Anyway, I have to get Mokuba to a doctor." With that said, he rode off into the North, where the next town lies.

"That arrogant, egotistical, conceited, smug, full-of-himself, good-for-nothing, fatuous jerk!" Tea yelled angrily.

"Tea, you're overreacting. Calm down. What Kaiba said is true though, he didn't know he'll see us here, so he couldn't possibly prepare two horses. Right?" Yami explained to a fuming Tea.

"But, but, but- But! Shouldn't he wait for us? What if the guards from Pegasus's castle caught up with us? Isn't traveling in a group much safer?" Tea whined. She understood what Yami said was true, but she just didn't like Kaiba's attitude.

"You're right, that's why we have to go now!" Yami said and grabbed Tea's hand, then started running in the direction Kaiba went, not to catch up with Kaiba, but that direction also happens to be where Joey and Mai had headed to—the Northern Mountain.

Tea sighed. Besides, she needed to save up energy for escaping rather then arguing with Yami, or Kaiba. Running with Yami, Tea noticed that they had run into a forest. It seemed like Duelist Kingdom was surrounded my forest, strange that she didn't notice when she came in the carriage.

Turning his head to look back, Yami sighed in relief that no guards have come after them… at least not yet. They needed as much time as possible to run as far away from the castle. If they have a horse to ride, then there won't be any problems. But now, look at them, they were running on foot!

"Yami…" Tea called while running forward, panting a little bit. "Serenity… I swear I saw her in that burning room… I swear that she pushed me and Mokuba out of the room… and that she didn't come out…"

Yami was silent. He believed Tea wouldn't lie to him, but he also doubted that if Serenity really were in that room, Kaiba would just stand outside without going in himself to save her. He didn't know what to believe at this point, since he didn't see Serenity by his own eyes.

"Okay, Tea, I understand. I don't know what happened, but we can ask Kaiba if we see him in the next town." Yami finally answered, tightening his hand on hers to give her assurance. Tea nodded and kept her attention on jumping or ducking tree branches.

They jumped over a few branches on the ground, and bent down to duck a few tree branches over their head. Time seemed to go by so slowly, and they seemed to be running for hours already. Tea's breathe became hasty and sweats covered her forehead. Yami wasn't in a much better condition either. But they had no choice but to keep running forward…

* * *

In the middle of the forest, a river flow down from the Northern Mountain. The mountain itself, covered with white snow at its peak, was visible from the forest. It was a rather nice view. Stopping by the river, Seto jumped down the horse. He tied the horse to a tree and put Mokuba under another tree with his back leaning against the tree. 

Then, he walked over to the river. After unsheathing his beautiful sword covered with blood, he took out a cloth and dipped it into the cold water. He gently wiped the blood away from the blade, as if he was caressing something dear to him. His cerulean eyes focused on the sword, and only the sword, as he wiped it clean.

Beside him, a faint figure slowly formed out of nowhere. The beautiful maiden with long auburn hair, hazel eyes, and white dress tainted with blood appeared like magic. The blood on her white dress disappeared little by little with each time Seto wiped the sword with the watered cloth. She looked at Seto sadly.

Cerulean eyes looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "You saved Tea and Mokuba back there?" It wasn't a question, it was a fact stated simply.

"Yes." Serenity answered simply. She walked over to Mokuba, a body deprived of its soul. By this time, her white dress had been all clean. Seto put the sword back into the sheath and walked over to where she was.

"Yami and Tea… why did you abandon them back there?" Serenity asked gently without looking at Seto. She was looking at the Northern Mountain. That's probably where her brother and Mai were at right at that moment.

"I'm in a hurry to get Mokuba back to town." He answered her, scooping up Mokuba to put him back onto the horse. "Besides, I don't like to travel with others. Don't worry, they won't be in danger, because I've slain all the guards in the castle."

"But they are innocent. The guards are innocent. How much blood do you want to spill? How much blood do you want to taint me with?" Serenity asked with a heart-wrenching voice. "I helped you out to save Mokuba! Not to kill innocent people!"

Seto stopped his action of getting onto the horse. He turned around and looked at her with hidden pain in his eyes. She was blaming him, and that made his heart hurt, a lot. "They worked for Pegasus. They blocked my way into the castle. If I did not kill them, they will kill me!" He said strongly to her.

Serenity closed her eyes. She understood his point. She didn't want him killed… But, slaying so many people, using the sword she sacrificed to help him create… She just felt guilty for all the deaths created by their hands.

All this time, she had been avoiding eye contact with him. Seto couldn't stand that. He wanted to see his reflection in her hazel eyes once again, like in the past… He walked over shiftily, trying to raise her head from her chin. But his hands went through her, like she was just an image that existed in his own mind. His hand froze near her face. How come he could never touch her when she was just standing in front of him? Damn! How he longed to once again caress her baby-soft skin…

Slightly panicked, he tried again. This time, he wanted to pull her into his arms, as if that way, she would never disappear in front of him again! His hands moved towards her shoulders in an attempt to pull her into his arms… But once again, his hands went through her image… Dropping his hands to his side, he closed his eyes, trying to fight back his fear.

Not able to touch her only served to remind him that he had already lost her. She will never be in his arms again. Never. Clutching his hands into fists, he had the urge to hurt Pegasus! That snake was the only reason he lost Mokuba, and her!

Serenity looked at him sorrowfully. How she longed to be in his arms once again! But she couldn't… because… "You still don't believe in my existence? That's why you can't touch me…" She whispered painfully as tears slid down her face. If only he believed in her existence, then she could be held by him again.

Seto turned around, hands still clutched tightly. With his back facing her, he walked over to the horse. "I don't believe in ghost or magic." His whisper carried to her ears by the wind.

"I don't know why… But my soul is bound to the sword… That's why I'm still here…" She whispered back to him as he got onto the horse. "Perhaps I don't want to leave. Perhaps I want to stay by your side, even if I'm only a spirit. How can I leave this world behind when you are still so lonely?" She mumbled to herself this time, without letting Seto hear it.

"We're leaving." He announced. Nodding, Serenity disappeared slowly, fading into the air. Seto turned his head and looked at where she was standing. There was no one there anymore. She had faded back into the sword. He pulled on the string with one hand, and clutched another hand on the sword tightly.

"Let's go!" With a yell, the white horse charged northward to the next town. His coat billow in the air, forming a rather nice scene…

* * *

After about five hours of walking mixed with running, and several rests on their way, Yami and Tea had finally made it to the town. Exhausted, all they wanted to do was to find a place to stay over for a day, and also to eat some delicious food to fill their grumbling stomach. In the town, they saw the Northern Mountain very clearly. It seemed like they were just another five miles before reaching the bottom of the mountain. 

Walking on the busy street, Tea's eyes were focused on all the delicious food she saw. She wanted to taste each and every type of food here on the street! On the other hand, Yami was focused on finding an inn for their stay. Suddenly, he stopped. Tea, who was following closely behind him, bumped into his back.

"What happened?" She asked, rubbing her nose. Her blue orbs followed where Yami's violet eyes had been staring at. "Ah ha! That's Kaiba's white horse, isn't it?" She asked excitedly. "I'm finally going to get some answers about Serenity!" With that said, she rushed into the inn.

Yami rushed in behind her. By the time he reached the counter, he saw Tea describing Kaiba to the owner of the inn.

"Is there a very tall, brown-hair, blue-eye, arrogant man stopping by here? He's with a little boy with long raven hair? Oh, and a sword on his waist? And he rode that white horse out there?" Tea asked urgently, but still refusing to describe Kaiba-the-jerk as handsome. Yea right, she'd rather be dead than admit publicly that Kaiba is handsome.

"Oh-! I know! That handsome young man! Sure- um… wait, who are you? I can't tell you if you are an enemy of him. That's against my inn's rule. Our customers' information is confidential, young lady." The owner of the inn, a middle-aged man, said after admitting there was a customer like that here.

"I am… his sister!" Tea lied. "We got lost in the forest! Hey, what are you looking at? Can't you see our resemblance? Brown-hair, blue-eye, and tall!" Tea said a little too loudly, as if covering for her lies. She was inwardly praising herself for her own intelligence of coming up with something so brilliant.

"Since when do I have a little sister?" A cold voice came from the stairs. His sapphire eyes glared at the dual with annoyance. When would they stop following him? Tea and Yami turned around to that familiar voice – Seto Kaiba!

"Kaiba." Yami smiled at the sight of him. Not that he liked Kaiba that much, but he was glad Tea finally can get her questions about Serenity answered.

"Since I said so. Humph." Tea replied Kaiba's sarcastic question. She rushed to where he stood on the stairs and looked behind him, trying to see any signs of Serenity.

Seto frowned and stared at Tea strangely. "What are you looking for?" He asked, rather annoyed being bother by Tea for the whole day. Yami, at the mean time, had asked the owner of the inn for one room to stay over for the night.

"Where's Serenity? Didn't you say she's fine? Where is she?" Tea interrogated the tall man in front of her. "Hey! Wait a minute! I don't remember seeing Serenity with you even when you rode away on that white horse! What's going on here? Where is my best friend?" Tea yelled with a voice that's higher than normal, drawing attentions from the customers eating at the first floor of the inn.

"Be quiet, will you! Stop acting like a baboon. I don't appreciate so much attention drawn to me because of you!" Kaiba glared at Tea after hearing whispers coming from the customers sitting at the first lobby.

"Let's talk upstairs then, shall we?" Yami suggested as he walked over with a key to a room on the second floor.

"Humph." Seto snorted as he turned around to go back upstairs. Tea also crossed her arms out of rage. If she remembered correctly, Kaiba just called her a _baboon_! A god-damn baboon! She had been insulted for several times already just in one day by the same jerk!

Seto walked towards his room. He knocked and announced loud enough for the "sword" in his room to hear him. "Serenity, I'm coming in. Your _friend_ Yami and Tea are here to see you also." After waiting for five seconds, he opened the wooden door and went in, followed by Yami and Tea.

With a stoic face, not surprise at seeing Serenity sitting at the bed beside a soul-less Mokuba, Seto went and sat next to her. Serenity's face lit up at the sight of her closest friends that she hasn't seen for a long time. Actually, maybe just one to two weeks, but it felt like an eternity to her, especially she was no longer a human, but just a soul bound to the sword.

Tea's eyes blue eyes also shined at the sight of Serenity. "Serenity! You're safe! I'm so glad!" Tea said as she rushed over to hug Serenity. "But how? How did you get out of that burning room? I didn't see you riding off with Kaiba outside of Pegasus's castle!" Tea started throwing questions at Serenity as she pulled her to the table in the middle of the room. Yami walked in and sat down next to Tea.

"I… um…" Serenity wasn't good at lying. She looked at Seto for help. She didn't think that Tea would start questioning her so soon. And she didn't feel like breaking the horrible news to her friends just yet. She can't just tell them that she wasn't human anymore, just a spirit… That'd be too sad, especially when Mai was still not safe yet.

"I saved her before I reached you guys. Then she came back first on another horse. That's why you didn't see her." Seto lied without even blinking his eyes. He didn't care if his lie was believable or not, because he wasn't planning on explaining anymore than that. Instead, he pulled on the bed sheet to cover Mokuba's cold body better.

"Really?" Tea asked Serenity with suspicious. To tell the truth, she didn't quite believe what Kaiba just told her.

"Yes, that's right." Serenity said, averting her eyes from Tea's blue eyes. If she looks at Tea, her lies will be caught easily.

"… Serenity… your hands are so cold…" Tea just noticed even though she had been holding onto Serenity's hands all this time. Tea quickly raised her hands to touch Serenity's forehead. "Are you sick? Do you have a cold?" She asked with a worried voice.

"No… no… I'm fine…" Serenity said as she tried to get away from Tea's hands. Her body had been cold ever since she became a spirit. Out of desperation, Serenity stood up quickly and walked over to the bed. She didn't dare go near Seto because if she were to accidentally "touch" Seto, her body will go through him like she didn't exist, and then Yami and Tea will become _very_ suspicious of her.

Tea wanted to check on Serenity's health more, so she stood up, about to walk after Serenity.

"She's tired, can't you see? Stop bothering us and go back to your own room." Seto stepped in front of Serenity, blocking Tea's views.

"Hey, you're blocking my way. Move!" Tea said, trying to brush past Kaiba. But Yami pulled her back before Seto actually push her back.

"Let's go, Tea. Kaiba and Serenity need their rest. And so do we." Yami said, seeing that Kaiba was about to fume. He looked at Serenity's a bit pale face, a little bit suspicious that something was going on here, but decided to leave for now.

"… Fine…" Tea gave in to Yami. Before leaving, she turned back to Serenity, who wasn't looking at them, and said, "Get some rest, take care of yourself. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure. You take care too." Serenity said, with a sarcastic smile. She didn't have to take care of herself anymore, since she wasn't even suppose to be here. Somehow, her soul couldn't move on, but instead was stuck with the sword.

"Nice sword you got there, Kaiba. Does it have a name?" Yami asked before stepping out of the door. He had noticed that sword since he got into the room.

"Pardon?" Seto asked with surprise. He thought they were leaving, and definitely didn't expect Yami to ask him anything about his sword, which he put on the table.

"Your sword." Yami said as he pointed to the sword on the table. "Does it have a name? Don't all the swords have names?" He turned to look at Serenity as he believed he heard a very slight gasp from her. Too bad she wasn't looking at Yami. Her attention was focused on the sword and Kaiba.

"Name… not at the moment… It's a new sword." Seto answered. He had the urge to say that the sword does have a name. He wanted to tell Yami the sword's name—Serenity. But that would only bring suspicious, he thought. And how ironic it was. A sword named "serenity." A sword is a weapon, there is absolutely nothing serene about it.

"Just curious." With that, Yami left after Tea, going back to their own room. After the door was closed, Seto turned back to look at Serenity, a bit angry at her.

"What? Did I do something wrong?" She asked, puzzled by the glare Seto was giving her.

"How come Tea can touch your hands?" Seto asked with a suppressed voice. He felt like screaming, because only others can touch her, but not him, only him! "Why can't I?"

Serenity looked away from him, averting eye contact once again. "Didn't I tell you already? They believed that I'm real, that I exist in this world in flesh and blood. You, on the contrary, knew that I'm no longer here in this world, that I'm only a spirit bound to the sword. You knew I don't actually have a physical body… Plus, you never believed in ghost, spirit, and magic, even though your little brother is currently deprived of his soul… That's why… if you don't believe in something, those things will not be real, and you can never reach them…" Taking a small break, she continued. "Perhaps if you are like others, who didn't know what happened to me… You will still believe that I exist… then… you can tou-"

"Enough. I don't want to hear that anymore. If I can't touch you, no one shall be able to, you understand? Not even your friends." Seto decided to end the conversation. As he listened to her speech, he only felt more guilt and more sadness. He couldn't bear to listen to her anymore. He knew that she was right. Because he knew what happened to her, he could never believe that she still exists. He must remind himself that she doesn't exist and can disappear anytime, so that his heart wouldn't bleed a second time if her spirit really were to disappear without any warnings.

"Did I smell… jealousy?" Serenity looked at the fuming man sitting on the bed. He didn't answer her, either because he didn't hear her, or he was just ignoring her.

Seeing that Seto no longer took any interest in her. She faded into the air with a small sigh. Perhaps he wanted some time to think alone, a habit he picked up ever since she had became a spirit residing in the sword.

Focusing his attention on his little brother, who had been checked by a local doctor already, Seto tried not to think about Serenity for the time being. The doctor had told him that his brother was physically fine, but the doctor couldn't figure out why the young boy was unconscious. Of course, a body without a soul could not function. But the old doctor didn't need to know that.

Closing his eyes, he rested his body against the wall. Tomorrow. He will get his revenge for Mokuba, himself, and… Serenity. Tomorrow will be the day Pegasus pay for his evil doings…

* * *

In a dark room, an angry person in a cloak was cursing at another figure. Both have silverfish-white hair up a little past their shoulders. Pegasus sat in his leather arm chair with a glass of red whine in his hand, staring coldly at the person in front of him—Bakura. 

"What the hell? Not only didn't I get the woman I want, she even dies to help Kaiba! Didn't your good servant Ishizu foresee Serenity's death? Why didn't you warn me so that I can take her before she die?" Bakura roared angrily and punched the table in front of him.

"I don't know. If Ishizu, the _traitor_, had foreseen the event, she did not tell me about it." Pegasus said icily as he put an emphasis on the word 'traitor.'

"What? Traitor?" Bakura raised an eyebrow. He wasn't too familiar with Ishizu, but only knew that she was the high priest who owned the millennium necklace, which allowed her to see the future. He didn't really care about Pegasus or Ishizu for the matter, but a little more knowledge about what had been happening wouldn't hurt.

"She helped Yami, Tea, Joey, and Mai escaped. Her little brother Marik helped too." Pegasus explained.

"So, you're telling me that our plans had been breached by Ishizu?" Bakura asked apathetically. He really didn't care about Pegasus's plans. Even though he was the one who poisoned Mai, he only went along so that he could grab a chance to seize Serenity for his own lust. He believed that in a chaotic situation that Pegasus's plans created, it will be easier for him to take Serenity since Kaiba might be preoccupied by some other events.

"Well, not exactly. We can always have a change of plan. Now that Kaiba gained a new, stronger sword with the help of your poor Serenity, he's coming to get me. Actually, he had been here just this morning, slaying all my men." Pegasus said with a sly smirk.

"WHAT? Kaiba was here already?" Bakura gasped out of surprise. He couldn't help but wonder if Kaiba would get him next if Kaiba found out that he had been planning schemes with Pegasus.

"Not to worry. I've employed new guards. Once group is going after Joey and Mai right now, and another is going to get Yami and Tea soon. I will be waiting here for Kaiba. It had been a while since he came to challenge me with a strong sword. I will enjoy breaking his new sword. I wonder… what type of sorrowful face he will show me this time for not only failing to save his little brother's soul again, but also for losing his precious sword that he got by trading in his woman's life. Hahaha—" Pegasus's sickening laugh filled the whole dark room.

Bakura frowned. He didn't like this crazy man in front of him. Why did he ever chose to work with Pegasus in the first place was beyond him. Now that he could never get Serenity, no point in sticking with Pegasus's sick games.

"Good luck with your plans, then. I'm leaving. Our partnership is over as of now." Bakura announced and left the room. Pegasus's laughs continued on. He didn't care if Bakura worked with him or not.

"I'm waiting, Kaiba-boy." Pegasus mumbled with a scowl in the dark room…

* * *

**Note:** Yay, finished this chapter! 

So now, we found out that Joey and Mai are stuck in a cave because of a snow storm, Tea and Yami staying at an inn, and that most important of all, Serenity is a spirit residing in the sword (that explains the title of this story, didn't it?).

What's happening next? Hmm… First, Joey will be able to find the white flower to cure Mai's vile, vile poison, along the way a little bit of obstacles from Pegasus's newly employed guards of course. Then, a big battle between Kaiba and Pegasus… Well, that's all the clues I will give for now.

As for Serenity, I'm currently thinking of a way to bring her back to life, if that is at all possible. Haha— (laugh nervously at the possibly very angry readers). So, want me to bring her back to live?

Now that winter break one month long, hooray! is here, I'll try to update more often. I really should be updating my other stories first though… So please be patient. Now, point your arrow at the blue button at the bottom to review, please :) Thanks!


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